Death's Instruments
by Arcanehex69
Summary: What if the story of Harry Potter had started way before his birth? What if he was chosen by an instrument of Death? A world where Harry Potter will take what he deserves, and destroy his obstacles and enemies without mercy. HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-A Myth and a Duel

Many centuries ago, there were three brothers who called themselves the Peverells. The first brother was a master of warfare, the second brother was wise and always quick to form a successful strategy, the third brother could gaze into the future, warning the others of any trouble that lay ahead.

One day they were passing through a forest, in search of new places. When suddenly the third brother had a vision. He saw a river ahead, over which was a wrecked bridge. He saw themselves attempting to cross it, but the bridge giving way as they fell into the treacherous river. He could see himself drowning, and before he took his last breath, he saw a lone figure, clad in black. Death was pleased to see their demise.

He shook himself out of his trance and quickly warned his brothers. The second Peverell came up with a plan. As they were nearing the river, the first brother created an illusion of themselves, that went on to cross the river. Just as the illusion reached the middle, he silently reached out with his magic and broke the sole supporting column. It ended just as the third had envisioned, but with them safe and on their way through other roads.

They couldn't get far, however, as just a while later they faced a lone black figure, with a long scythe in hand. The smell of rotten flesh and fear of demise prominent in the air, they knew that they faced Death herself.

Death was not very pleased to find her prey slipping out of her grasp, but at the same time she was amused to find mortals who could deceive her. So she came forth deciding to let them go for now. As she voiced her pardon form demise, the first Peverell strode towards her and claimed he had triumphed over her, asking for mastery over her in return. The third one also claimed the same. Death was now enraged beyond words, wishing for nothing but agony on them for their foolishness. She wanted to end their lives then and there.

However, she had other plans. They would die for their own cleverness.

She acknowledged their 'triumph' and stated that in return of said 'triumph', each brother would gain a boon from her.

First she turned to the eldest one. The elder one wanted nothing but power all his life. So he asked for a weapon that would grant him power to be invincible in battle. Death cut off a branch off an Elder tree nearby and lacing it with her power over life, fashioned a wand. She gave it to the eldest, who left without looking back. True to the words of Death, the wand helped against overwhelming odds as he tore through his enemies. However, one day he got drunk and spilled his secret in front of a friend of his. He was killed that very night, as his friend claimed the wand from his corpse. After that the wand passed hands after hands as blood flowed freely for want of its hold. After around ten generations, the Elder wand was lost to history, waiting to be found again.

Death now turned to the second Peverell. Just as she was about to speak, she was interrupted as the third brother claimed he be the next one to receive her boon, as he foresaw the whole event. He asked for a way to glimpse in the future, to delve into the unknown as he willed it. Death presented him with a gateway that was laced with her power to reach out to unknown places and time. She also warned him never to step in or cross it, otherwise he would face dire consequences. The man left with his prize, eager to see the secrets hidden within. 'The Veil' as he called it helped him to see secrets and pieces of the future beyond his comprehension, and more importantly, beyond his reach. It almost seemed that he could hear it whisper, urging him to reach out. One day, he gave in to his temptaions. He walked into the Veil, never to be seen or heard ever again. Many souls were lost to it as they gave in to the temptation, never to return. The Veil was now rumored to be housed in the fabled department of mysteries, waiting silently for its next victim.

Finally Death turned to the second Peverelle and offered him a boon. He politely refused and thanked her for his life. When she offered again, he respectfully denied his victory, stating "No one hides from the dead.". Death now impressed with him, blessed his life to be a peaceful and happy one. And that his descendents would become legends in the world, they would be the driving force of progress. Thankful for her blessing, the second one went to live a very long and happy life that ended as him embracing Death as a friend.

But as he left the scene, Death looked into the future, she saw a boy, no a man of his lineage going up against overwhelming odds and triumphing over the darkness that will spread over the magical world. What his fate would be, if he would ever finish his journey, that she could not see. Determined to help, Death voiced,

"Darkness will come. Slowly it shall cast it's shadow of ignorance and blindness over men. It shall strike once, twice. One shall be won. The other is undecided. As the shadow will be at its blackest shade, a child of Death shall be born. He shall wield one of Death's instruments in time and shall be aided by one who remained and by one who never dies. He will be bound by a prophecy. And should he survive, his power and wisdom will be compared to none other. He will be the world's salvation, as all darkness will be cast out by his light."

Satisfied with herself, Death left. She had countless souls to reap.

[Hag's End, 1 May 1945]

Gellert Grindelwald, the most powerful dark lord ever known was in doubt. Sure, he had numerous followers willing to die on his merest whims and fancies. Sure he had devastated those who had dared to oppose him, he had money, control, land. Yet he felt something was out of his reach. Something he started his journey for. Power.

He idly twirled the wand in his hand as he looked at it, fascinated by its beauty. An instrument of Death. The Elder Wand.

When he killed Gregorovitch and took possession of this wand, the promise of power he felt from it took his breath away. He thought he would be invincible. Now he suspected that the previous owners thought along the same line. Now when he looked at it, he felt fear. Fear that his death was very near, and he'd be helpless. The wand worked better for him than any other he owned before. But with time, he felt it rejecting his wishes. Killing when he wanted to harm. Destroying when he wanted to leave a mark. His own followers died because he wanted to teach them a lesson with a simple reducto. It smashed their heads.

He had tried to use other wands, but each time he did, he felt that his magic was no more stronger than an average wizard. He finally figured out why. The wand, it was draining him, his magic slowly receding. The wand used him, making him think that he had mastery over it by claim. While it never really had a master. The wand was powerful, but as every other wand it had a true master. And that was obviously not him.

He gave a rueful smile. In his arrogance, he had challenged the leader of the other side to face him in one on one duel. Albus Dumbledore. His friend, the one who accompanied him on his early phase of journey. He knew that his skill and experience was on par with his own. It was only this wand that gave him the confidence to dare to do such. And now he would go without it to face his death. How ironic.

Before he killed Gregorovich, he 'forced' him to tell him all he knew about wands, wanting to make sure he had absolute ownership of the Elder One. The old man had told him that all wands search for their true master, their magic reaching out to find them. And no matter what happens, the wand will always find its chosen one. any else attempting to use one would face consequences. He heard, he knew, yet ignored it. 'How blind is man.' He thought. Reaching a decision, he took out his other wand, made by the previous owner. He reached within to find his withering core, pointing his wand at the Elder One.

"With my death, all I have and I am I sacrifice to seal this wand. Only when it's true master needs it, shall it appear again. Until then, all who search for it shall search in vain. For I, Gellert Grindelwald will it with my magic, mind, and my soul. Let it be so." Blue light flashed surrounding the Elder, and it was gone.

'Now Albus or any other will never lose their lives over it. Never again.' With this thought, he made his way to center where his foe stood in waiting. "Ah Albus." He said in a resigned tone. "You were with me at the start, now you will witness my end." Gellert Grindelwald died that day, but the shadow of darkness he left behind was only getting blacker.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A.N. This chapter has verbal, physical and sexual abuse in it. So, for anyone who doesn't want to read such, I would suggest you avoid reading after the line break […]. I will include a summery of that part in the next chapter so you can catch up with the plot.**_

Chapter 2-Trouble at Dursley's

He found himself in the darkness. He tried to see, he tried to listen, but to no avail. he tired pushing his hands out and feeling his way out but he could feel nothing. And then he heard it. The rustling of leaves as someone walked towards him. He swiftly turned to his right, only to face a pair of smoldering blue eyes. They gazed at him as if examining him. He tried to make out whose those eyes were. However, a sudden noise woke him up.

Harry woke up with a start. He was sweating profusely as if he was under a hot summer sun. This wasn't the first time he saw this dream. Just this time, it lasted further then before. But before Harry could ponder over it, the noise that woke him was heard again. 'Someone's crying.' Harry thought. Normally he wouldn't dare to go out of his room at night but this time his curiosity got the best of him. So he crept out his room. with absolute stealthiness that he mastered during his stay here, he slowly made his way past his cousin's room. He noticed it was empty. 'So Dudders is staying at his friend's house again.' he counted one out. Then he went down and found that the car keys were missing from the table. 'That counts out Vernon, and I already know that it's Aunt Petunia who was crying. But why if they're not at it again?' he mused. Vernon and Petunia were an average couple. Petunia married Vernon for his good looks and maybe the fact that he played basketball and was very good at it. She probably thought he'd be famous. She might even love the git. On the other hand, Vernon's reasons were anybody's guess. The idiot probably married her because of her money. The Evans family were well off in muggle terms. And when Harry's mother refused to take her share, Petunia inherited all of it. The fact that she was a real looker like his mother was no small bonus. Vernon simply married her then quit playing. The family still ran on the money the Evans family business made.

Knowing all this, Harry knew that this 'couple' was anything but loving. 'If you call two torture-Harry loving morons a couple that is.' Harry rolled his eyes at the thought. However they were pretty much stuck together until recently. This summer coming from Hogwarts, he saw them going at it over and over again. Not that he minded. The less attention was on him, the higher the chances were of avoiding any beating.

Harry was awoken from his thoughts as he found his aunt crying, curled up on the floor, clutching something to her bosom as if her life depended on it. She was whimpering from time to time and hadn't even noticed him come in. Despite all he had gone through because of her, Harry was surprised to find himself deeply saddened for her. 'Something terrible has happened. Maybe Vernon had an accident?' While Harry knew that he wouldn't care, his aunt still thought the lame excuse of a man loved her.

"Aunt Petunia?" He asked hesitantly. His Aunt looked up, sorrow and regret obvious in her eyes. Then suddenly Harry found himself in a rib-crushing embrace as Petunia continued to sob on his shoulders. He let her. He knew how much it hurts to keep it in. After what seemed like an endless time, she started to speak.

"I'm Sorry."

Harry was surprised and angry. He was about to say that no amount of sorry will be ever enough. That they can never take back what they did to him, but he didn't. Something inside him told him that it was best to stay silent or even accept the apology and hear her out.

"It's okay." he heard himself say, though it was not.

"No, it's not okay! It will never be okay and I know that now!" Petunia choked out. Harry expressionlessly stared at her, waiting for her to go on.

"Lily was always different. No, she was special. To everyone, she was the center of their world. Even our parents loved her more than me. She always got all the attention and I hated it. The day she discovered she was a witch I thought my world had fallen apart. Mum and Daa loved her more for that. Even when she was gone all they would do is miss her. I never knew love, at least I thought so. So when Vernon noticed me, I thought I was special to him. I-I thought he loved me, you know? After our marriage he simply lived on me, like a rotten parasite and I never knew. so guess my surprise when I found out that he was fucking some other woman behind my back! I yelled at him for it, and when he said he simply got sidetracked and it won't happen again I believed him. I was that stupid!" Petunia took a deep breath, clearly her emotions tearing at her. "And look at what I found out tonight!" She showed him the picture she was clutching to her bosom. It was of a younger Vernon Dursley and a girl who looked like a slut more than anything else. What was more interesting about the photo was the lewd act they were engaged in. And looking closer, it was obvious that they were in this very house when they were at it.

"Goes to show that shit happens to the best of us." The moment it came out of his mouth he regretted it. But Petunia simply laughed hysterically at his remark, and when she calmed down she looked torn. "Vernon is a lost cause now, and whatever love I had for that arsehole it's gone." She stopped for a moment as if trying to figure out how to say it. "Funny thing, I thought that Dudley will be different. But no, he had to be every bit of an arsehole that his father is. I got a call from the police station today. They caught him with drugs. He was selling them in an ally. They say that they've caught him at before, but his ever law-abiding father came and took him away every time." She spat out. Seeing no look of surprise in his eyes, she softly asked, "You knew didn't you?" Harry could only stare. She gave a sad smile and continued, "I'd ask why you never told me but now I know that I'd never have believed you. Probably would've gotten you a beating from Vernon. Doesn't make me feel any better though."

"I already told you, it's okay. I meant it." Harry tried to soothe her.

Petunia didn't give in. "No Harry. I need to finish this. I know you think I feel guilty. I do. But I feel more like an idiot. No one loved me Harry. My parents did but they loved Lily more. What I never figured out that just as their world went around Lily, her world went around me." She stunned Harry with that comment. She didn't let him think over it though. "She was always there for me. She helped me even though I refused it. Gave me the love and care I never returned. Heavens, now I remember a time when she went on a rant over mom and dad just for me. Told them they could bugger off if they didn't care about me." She chuckled. "She warned me about Vernon. She was right, I was wrong. God, she even left her fortune to make it up to me." She sighed. "Harry, I cast out the only person who ever cared. And now she's gone." She looked up at Harry in wonder. "You have your mother's eyes."

"No." Harry sternly responded. "Harry?" Petunia asked. "You didn't do right by my mother. You hated her guts. Now that you know what you've done, you want to get over your guilt using me?" Harry growled. "Not happening. You've got too much to pay for already." Petunia tried to interrupt him. Harry pulled up his shirt and turned, exposing his back. He could hear her gasping and tearing up again. He turned back. "All those times Vernon and Dudley tortured me, and you did nothing. I'll forgive you for it because you were too blind to see. But now that you can, I won't take your sympathy or love so you may make it up to my mother. He continued on a softer tone. "You love a person for who they are. And if you lose that chance, then it's gone and you can only ask for forgiveness." Petunia nodded through her tears.

Harry picked her up gently and embraced her. "Don't worry. Everything's gonna be okay. Now pull yourself together and go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning." Petunia looked like she wanted to protest. "We'll worry about those two later. Now you'll need some rest." Just as they were about to move, they heard a loud banging at the door. "Petunia, open up!" Vernon yelled. "I have Dudley with me. Petunia!"

Petunia looked up at Harry with fear in her eyes. Harry was a bit scared too. But inspiration struck him as he plucked the photo from his aunt's bosom and quickly whispered. "I'm asleep and don't know anything. You're crying cause you're worried about your son, and believe that he did nothing like that." Seeing his aunt's stunned look, he urged. "Just do it. They'll be gone in the morning and you can hold me back for chores. We'll talk then." He bolted for his room as she opened the door.

[...]

The same dream again. Blue eyes circling around him, watching. But this time they were not emotionless. He saw fear? He felt the eyes were trying to warn him of something, but what he could not think of. Suddenly he felt like he was being pulled down. His vision became blurry as he fell. He found himself in Privet Drive again, listening to the conversation his aunt and Vernon had just two days ago.

"Hey Petunia, I was thinking. It's been a long time since we've gone somewhere, you know? Maybe we should take a trip to someplace. What do you think?" "Well, you're right dear. We haven't gone anywhere for while. But what about the..." He saw Petunia jerk her head in his direction. 'Can't call me a freak anymore huh?' He thought to himself. "We'll bring it too. The freak might actually lose some freakishness if it gets some natural air. So, what do you say?" "Dear, it's a brilliant idea but I'm not so sure." "Oh, don't be silly Petunia. I already have a plan. We'll head there tomorrow. Make sure to pack." Petunia seem startled by the prospect of a sudden excursion. "But where are we going?" "That's a secret, my dear." He heard Vernon chuckle. "Oi, freak. Stop staring like an idiot and get back to your chores or I'll teach you a lesson!" He yelled at Harry. To his surprise, he saw himself leaving out of the corner. Petunia left a while later. Dudley came to in and went straight to his father. "So, dad, we can finally get the freak tomorrow?" He asked hopefully. "Quiet son!" Vernon admonished. "They'll hear us! Now dear, I have a question for you. Do you love me more or your mother?" Dudley seemed to mull it over for a moment, then he spoke up."Of course you dad!" "Good. Keep that in mind tomorrow and do whatever I tell you to do. If you be a good boy tomorrow, then we'll be rich enough for you to buy anything you want." "Sure thing!" Dudley said excitedly. Next day, he saw them driving off to god knows where and settling in a cabin in wilderness.

Harry woke up violently. He already had put two and two together. 'They're going to kill her!' He thought frantically. He got up and searched for his wand, only to find his trunk broken. 'Shit! They've taken it!' He cursed mentally. Before he could think of another way to deal with the situation, he heard the door open and right after he felt a sharp pain behind his head, his senses giving way.

Harry groaned as his head slowly registered the pain in the his back of his head. As the world came into view, he saw Vernon and another man he couldn't recognize. They were talking over a bottle of whiskey, as if nothing was amiss. But from the twitching of their hands he could tell that they were excited about what would happen next. He did not like that all.

Vernon Dursley had been waiting for this day to come. He married the Petunia woman so that he could snag her money. But never in his dreams did he ever think that such deals come with...freakish complications. Now he would be more than glad to kill two birds with one stone. Dudley was another problem he had to deal with. He never wanted a child with that woman, but he could not deny his benefactor now, could he? It was well worth it as that piece of shit worked as an anchor when he was found out. After tonight, he could just overdose that worm to a near deadly amount, wait and then drop him at the police station and be done with it. But the woman...no, he would not kill her so easily. The men he had brought with him tonight were not really needed, but he brought them so that they could have a bit entertainment. They would break her slowly. And once they had shattered her mind completely, then he would kill her. After that, all he could want would be his. He could start a life with no worries. He was broken out of his thoughts as he saw the freak wake up. With a maniacal grin he faced the idiot. It would die, but not without getting an eyeful.

"So, it appears that the freak has finally come to its senses." He heard Vernon say. Harry tried to struggle against his bonds but he knew it was a losing battle. Years of malnutrition and abuse simply doesn't help one's strength. So he gave up trying. Instead, he ignored Vernon's sarcastic laughs and focused deep into his frail core. He tried to force his magic to reach out and cut the ropes, but much to his chagrin, he failed. Harry was, surprisingly weak when it came to magical capability. Unlike others, he could barely feel his core. In his past two years at Hogwarts, he barely managed to cast the spells with his wand. Without his wand was an absolute no. He only manged to survive his last two years confrontations because he never had to contest someone in a magical manner. So, he simply accepted his fate.

Vernon saw the freak struggling but he knew it was futile. It couldn't even hurt a fly if it tried. So, he just laughed at it till he felt sore. "Go ahead, try and break 'em." He mocked as he gagged it and pushed it away to a darker corner of the room. The other guy was impatient however, and he urged him to get it on. Vernon was a bit peeved but he too was excited at the prospect of what's to come. "Hey, bring the bitch in!" He yelled.

A bound and gagged Petunia was brought into the room. It looked as if she had given up any trace of hope. To Harry's horror, he could see her hands and part of her back covered in welts and bruises. "Set her up on the table." Vernon ordered. The two men picked her up and untying her, forced her on her hands and knees on the table, then bound her ankles and wrists on either side of the table. Satisfied with their work, they stepped aside waiting.

"Well gentlemen? What are you waiting for?" Vernon asked with a sinister smile. "But I do request you draw it on till the night's almost up. And oh, remove the gag if you will. I want to hear her pleading." One of them went up to Petunia and removed her gag. "Vernon, please." Petunia pleaded in a weak voice. "You want my money. Then get me something to sign and let us go." Vernon looked like he was mulling it over, and with that nasty smile on his lips he replied. "Hmm, that could be a solution. Buuut, as you can see, we have three eager men here, including me, itching to work on you, and I have someone I want to watch the whole thing. So no deal. Let's get this show on the road." The men took a few tools out of the bag and started placing it beside the table. One of them took out a knife and slid it across her skin. Petunia shuddered in fear, waiting for it to pierce her skin. With a sudden smooth motion, he ripped off her clothes. Stripping her off completely, he then threw the knife away. Petunia shuddered again as she could feel his hands roaming her body. He stopped for bit between the valley of her breasts, then cupped them both in his hands. "No. Please." She pleaded desperately. But the man paid no heed. He rolled her right nipple as he groped her left one forcefully. She hoped he would continue his ministrations, humiliate her a bit then end it. But she gasped as she felt his mouth over her left one. "Please." She pleaded again.

Vernon was enjoying the scene too much. "What's that bitch? Are you pleading for more? Then have it." He laughed seeing her in such a helpless state. 'More to come.' He reminded himself.

Hearing Vernon, the man removed his hand from her right side. She sucked for air as she suddenly felt her vagina being roughly invaded by his fingers. "No." She moaned, ashamed to find her body reacting. She felt herself getting wetter and wetter, she prepared herself for the worst. He suddenly removed his fingers and his mouth. "Josh, she's yours for now." She heard him say. She heard another man approaching her from behind. She heard him unzipping, tears falling from her eyes. The man stuck his fingers in her vagina again. She felt him remove his hands and mutter. "All nice and wet. Ready or not bitch, here I come!"

Harry watched the whole scene unfold with horror. How can a man be this cruel? Didn't she just offer him her money? Then why? He saw the feral looks in the mens eyes. The guy named Josh was now having at her. He tried to yell at them, hoping to make them back away somehow, but his gag prevented it. Harry saw him unzipping, pulling it out...He thought he knew what was coming, but was shocked out of his senses. He just heard his aunt's blood curdling scream as he shoved it brutally in her anus. With each thrust she seemed to feel even more pain, crying out louder and louder each time, begging them to just kill her. He just stared, not being able to process this anymore.

Vernon watched on with pleasure as each man took their turn with her. It's been close to an hour now, so he decided to trump it. "Dudley!" He yelled, then cursing himself for forgetting the room was soundproof, he opened the door and left looking for his addicted 'son'.

Harry had turned away his head by now, not being able to watch this anymore. He could still hear though. He felt like puking. He tried to ignore the sounds now. But he was broken from his attempts as he heard an obviously drugged Dudley's confused voice. "Mom?"

"She's not your mother, son." Vernon stated calmly. "She's a backstabbing bitch and today I'm gonna show you what to do with the likes of 'em. You see son, bitches love screaming in your ear. They scream about your job, your money, if your fuckin' some other whore behind your back, they scream till you can't take it anymore. So you shut 'em up by shoving your dick down their throats till they suffocate." Vernon was striding towards Petunia now, Harry could almost hear the bastard unzipping as he walked.

Something in Harry broke. He felt his emotion welling up, his rage threatening to pour out. He felt his binds give away as he jumped to his feet. Harry slowly walked towards the lot, a small part of him wishing he still had his wand. As if his wish had been given, he suddenly felt something in his hands.

Petunia was in torn. She felt immense pain from being ravaged. But that was nothing compared to the emotions she felt when she her son enter in the room. Shame, grief had been her initial ones, but as Vernon walked towards her she saw Dudley as he eyed her like a piece of meat, rubbing his crotch. She hated herself right now. But then she saw Harry. And what she saw, it terrified her. Emerald eyes blazing like fire, a dark aura emanated from his body as he pointed his wand at them and yelled, "Vernon!"

Vernon Dursley would have not bothered to turn around. But he felt shivers in his spine as he heard the freak calling his name. He slowly turned around, and saw the fr...no monster pointing his stick at him as he heard it growl in anger. "Vernon and Dudley Dursley! From this moment on your shall be forgotten. No one but you two pieces of shit and us will know who you are. You will live the rest of your life in misery, begging for a day's living. You will suffer the same ways you made me. Rot in hell!" He felt a massive force hitting him in the gut, and blackness took over.

Harry was absolutely seething in rage as he forced the bastards out. Then he pointed his wand at the two as they attempted to attack him, wishing they would just vanish out his sight. They crumbled to dust before him, wailing as they withered away. Then he turned himself towards Petunia, feeling worried seeing her in such a state. "Hold on, this will only take a moment." He let his emotions take over his magic and freed her from her bounds. Then he felt his magic pouring into her, searching for and repairing any injury. Absentmindedly summoning a clothing from her trunk he handed it her. As Petunia stood up next to him, he felt an odd feeling in his chest. "Hey, Auntie." He said. Petunia grabbed at him as he heard himself say, "Catch me.". The world went black after that.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. I promised a summary of the last part of chapter 2. So here it is. Harry and Petunia were tricked by Vernon and lead to an unknown place for a vacation. There they were taken captives by Vernon and his men. Petunia was tortured as Harry was forced watch. Reaching his break-point, Harry lashed out with his magic and found a strange wand in his hands. He was too busy to worry about that as he dealt with Vernon and his men. Freeing his aunt, he found himself exhausted and fainted as Petunia clutched at him.**

Chapter 3-A New Beginning

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin (First Class), Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, was perplexed. His Harry-monitors, as he called them were sending very confusing readings. Some were refusing to read his location, some were downright broken and, one particular one was spiking off the roof. He tried to repair or force them to work, but to his dismay they didn't respond. So now he was sitting in his room, trying to figure out what could have happened.

'So far I can guess from the readings that Harry is alive, for the one tied to his life is still working, kind of. Hmm, I can't see his location, that can only mean he is under some kind of magical protection, can't be the Fidelius. He would be totally hidden from me then. And he can't be taken by magicals. The blood wards are functioning properly. He can't be taken, he's not dead, I can't see where he is and he is definitely not in the Dursley's. Fawkes found it empty. No muggle can bypass the Notice-Me-Not charms on them, so that's out too.' He thought. 'The most annoying part is that I can't even get a read on his magical activity. This could be a burst of accidental magic and all I know is the detectors are going crazy. Wait!' He got up and walked slowly towards a cabinet, hoping and dreading at the same time. He opened it and inside was a sphere glowing a dull white. He took out his wand and carefully tapped on it, and the sphere changed color, this time glowing a blinding hue of green. Albus Dumbledore, for the first time in his life simply stood there, blinking. He had no clue what to do. A minute or two later, he returned to his senses. "This changes everything." He said out loud to no one.

[…...]

Blue eyes, watching him with interest. Circling him, eying him as if they knew all his secrets, all his memories, all his emotions, questions on his mind, doubts, everything. He found comfort in them. As he looked into them he was struck with waves of relief and happiness from them. He saw images of that fateful night. How his father died trying to protect his family, how his mother gave up her life so he may live. He had heard all this before, but seeing Voldemort cast the killing curse on her was another experience. He felt anger and sorrow that his parents were lost to this lunatic, yet he found happiness deep down as he now knew his parents loved him very much. But his attention was drawn to the scene before him. Voldemort calmly approached his cradle, pointed his wand at his crying self and uttered.

"Avada Kedavara."

He saw green light hitting him on the head as he lost consciousness. But then his whole body glowed green, and in an instant the curse rebounded at Voldemort, detaching his soul from his body. The soul that came out was as black as night, much like the wraith he had faced in his first year. It writhed and screamed in agony as a part of it broke away painfully and went in his baby self's temple. With surprise and fear his hand shot up to his scar as the images stopped coming. He saw the blue eyes again and they urged him to look behind. Harry turned, and he spotted a broken fragment of mirror, afloat and inside he saw red eyed looking back at him in panic. He watched as the broken mirror slowly faded away, fascinated. He turned back again, and now those eyes sent him images of Godric's Hollow. He saw his parents' grave. He saw the broken house. And he find himself walking inside. Blue flashes of fire covered his view. He felt as if he was being offered another chance at his life, to live it as he wishes. He saw a worn old leaf falling from a tree, and then he woke up.

Harry groaned as daylight fell on his face blinding him. As his senses were slowly coming back to him, he remembered last nights events and jumped up to see that he was back in his room at Dursley's. 'Maybe a dream?' He questioned. That's when he noticed he was firmly grasping something in his right hand. He opened his grip to see a worn old leaf on his palm. However, soon as he looked at it, it glowed, a fresh green leaf in it's place. A new beginning, he realized. That's exactly what he needed. And with what happened to his aunt, she needed one too. His doubts were still not gone however, so he decided he would check up on her and make sure if it happened and if she's alright or not.

'If I only had my wand.' He thought remorsefully. To his surprise, he saw something fly from under his pillow straight towards him. Seeker instincts on high, he deftly aimed for and caught it with his right hand.

He was surprised find a wand on his hands. It felt infinitely more powerful than his phoenix feather, he felt it reach for his core and almost singing with elation, ready to follow his every command. He looked over it carefully as he absentmindedly noted the beauty and craftsmanship behind it. There was a deathly aura about it, yet it just felt…...right in his hands. 'Right. Time to find Aunt Petunia and see if she's okay.' He broke out his thoughts, stashed the leaf and the wand in his pocket and left looking for her.

"Auntie? You there?" He softly called, after knocking at her door for the fifth time. He thought he heard a whimper in response so he opened her door. She was on her bed, curled up in a fetal position. Harry walked up to her, gently embracing her in an attempt to soothe her. She clung to him desperately, as she cried out her emotions.

"S-so, last n-night actually h-happened?" She asked, both fearing and hoping it did. "Yes, it did. But what matters is they are gone now. They can never bother us again." She heard him say. She felt as if she were experiencing all the pain and shame again. But she also felt relieved as she knew that's the truth. She slowly tried to compose herself. "Harry, I-I can't stay here anymore." She said. He said said nothing, but loosened his grip on her and paying attention, as if telling her to go on. "I-I know that this is my parent's home Harry, but my memories here are not too pleasant. You know what I mean." She saw him nodding as she went on. "I'd like us to move Harry. I'll sell this house and buy another one. We can move out and never look back again. What do you think?" Seeing him raise an eyebrow, She quickly backpedaled. "Harry, I know that we've had our problems in the past." He scoffed hearing that. "Okay, we would have killed for seeing the other dead. Happy? But I want it to be on the past. Harry, you're the last bit of family I have left. I screwed up once, I am not gonna let it get me again. So please, give me another chance. Please?"

Harry stayed silent for a minute, thinking. "I'd love that too. However, I don't think just a change of house is gonna do it. We need to leave everything behind. A real new start is what we need." She looked at him quizzically. "I'm not really sure what to do right now, but we'll figure it out together. I got a few clues now. We'll start there. After breakfast though." Petunia began to get up but Harry stopped her. "Don't. I'll go and get it ready. Then we'll talk more." She tried to tell him no, but he just shushed her and left.

The smell of pancakes filled the kitchen as Harry cooked. He was deep in thought and for some reason, cooking helped him to do that clearly. He was sure he'd agree with his Aunt on selling this house and moving on. Too many bad memories. But, what he was not sure of was if that would be enough for the new start he wanted. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, and that fame won't leave him. There was also the fact that he suspected his headmaster trying to manipulate his life. He heard from Hagrid that he was placed at Dursley's under his wishes. He had to to face the Dark Lord when he was a kid. Had to kill a seventy foot Basilisk when he was twelve. Dumbledore knew about the threats on both occasions. But he did nothing. Now Harry had strong belief that he did all this to test him. To see if the Boy-Who-Lived is up his mark. Also, placing him at Dursley's would leave him weak and malleable. He would be the ideal pawn if only someone showed him a bit care. He fell for it too. 'Not anymore.' He thought.

"Auntie! Breakfast is ready." He yelled. He saw her coming down out of the corner of his eyes. She came directly in the kitchen and despite his protests, helped him serve. They sat down and began eating. Harry looked at her after a bit and saw her playing with her food. So he began. "I've been thinking. We both agree we want to leave, right?" She nodded. "Then, that's settled. But, I don't think that just moving out of here will do me any good." She looked at him sharply as he went on to explain. "You know how my parents died?" She shook her head no, and he went on to tell her what happened that night and also gave her a short recap of what happened during his last two years, much to her horror. He finished off by saying, "So you see, he trying to keep me under his clutches and use me when he needs me. So I can't stay here. Not in this country anyway. I have to leave." Petunia grabbed his hand. "Not you, we. We'll stick together no matter what happens. Keep that in mind." He nodded. "Now that's out of the way, we'll have to move fast. One thing I know about Dumbledore is that he knows things he's not supposed to. So we'll have to move out fast and make decisions on the fly. Let's go to Gringots first. I'll need my money, we'll talk about yours there. I'm sure they can help out with us moving too. I also need to know if my parents left me a will or not." "I'm in." She said. "Then get dressed, and we'll go now." They both went to get ready and left for Diagon ally.

[…]

"So, Mr. Potter, what brings you to Gringots?" The Teller goblin was curious. The last time they saw him here was to get his account settled. And now here he was with a muggle in front of him. That stupid half-giant was with him last time, bloody idiot. Keeping the stone right under their noses. "School business." He said! The goblin shook himself and looked to the boy for answers.

Harry gulped. He knew that goblins are very…..unfriendly to wizards. And they were well known for twisting words to their advantage. Since he didn't actually know what to do, he blurted out the truth. "We need help." The goblin gave a skeptical 'explain' look, so he went on. "Well, not help really, rather financial advice." "Oh, and do you not prefer a wizard or witch to assist you on that matter, Mr. Potter? The teller asked. Harry gave a snort in return. "I'd much prefer knowledge from the source to deal with the source." The goblin looked interested and amused. "Very well, I think we can spare you an employee to advice you. Butcher!" He called out. Moments later, a goblin popped in. "Yes, master Claw?" "Please assist Mr. Potter here on his financial matters." The goblin named Butcher ushered them politely to his room. "What can Gringots do for you, Mr. Potter?" He asked.

Harry went on to tell the goblin about his requests, Petunia joined in a few times. They ended up telling his full story all over again. The goblin was surprisingly attentive to him, especially the part about the Basilisk. He seemed to rage when Harry told him about his sufferings so far. When he asked about his parents will the goblin raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Potter, are you saying that you have not been informed about your parent's will?" Seeing him nod, the goblin looked even more enraged. "This proves your speculations about Albus Dumbledore. Please, come with me." He lead them to the second floor of the bank, to a room that was guarded by heavily armed goblins.

Petunia was already a bit scared, but now she felt absolutely terrified. Goblins, as she remembered the name, were not really friendly looking at all. And now seeing the guards all she wanted to do is run for the doors. She felt Harry's hand on her shoulder, as if to assure her. So she took a deep breath and waited as the goblin called Butcher whispered something to the guard nearby. A few moments later, they were ushered in a room adorned with gold decorations, fit for a king. "High King Ragnok the fourth." Butcher announced in a revering manner.

Harry eyebrows went up at the name. If he remembered right, Ragnok had lead the goblins in the goblin revolt. So as soon he saw the goblin king come out of the shadows, he bowed.

"No need for that Mr. Potter. Ah madame, welcome to Gringots." King Ragnok raised an eyebrow at Harry, curious to see a muggle in the magical world. Harry hastened to explain. "She's my aunt, she raised me." "Oh, I see. Please be seated." Ragnok pointed at two comfortable chairs. As they sat down, the king took his employee aside and started conversing in a language he could not understand.

After a while Petunia grew uneasy again. "Um, what are they saying?" She asked Harry in hushed tone.

Harry chuckled seeing his aunt unnerved. "They are talking in their own language. The wizards call it Goobledook, but I think that the goblins find it offending."

"Indeed we do, Mr. Potter. However, we are not here to talk about goblin life and traditions." King Ragnok said. He just saw a memory of what has made his subject so uneasy. To be honest, he felt a bit angry as well. However, it would be best to figure out more then decide on a course of action. Seeing that he had their attention, he continued. "So, I take it that you have not heard of your parents will?" He saw Harry nod yes. "Harry, do you know that your magical guardian is Albus Dumbledore?" "No." He responded. "He also witnessed and promised to your parent's will. He is bound to tell you of their will the moment he sees you." King Ragnok saw him patiently waiting to hear more, but he could see the signs. Harry was fuming inside. "That means you have not authorized any transactions from either your trust vault or your parents vault for the past six years?" He got a stiff nod no as his reply. "Well then, it seems we have a very severe problem in our hands. But first, let's get on with the will reading. Butcher, call SharpClaw, tell him to bring James and Lily Potter's will with him. We have a lot of damage to undo." Butcher bowed and left.

Harry was desperately trying to keep his cool, but he was seething inside. 'That bastard! He hid this all from. And now I hear he stole my money. Who in hell gave him the right to be my guardian! That old wanker, that-that….' Images of hanging Dumbledore with his beard was flooding thorough his mind. "Mr. Potter, your parent's will is here." He paid attention as he heard the goblin king say.

The teller goblin cleared his voice and spoke, "The last will and testament of James and Lily Potter. They both of sound body and mind leave everything they own to their only child Harry James Potter. And in case they die while Harry James Potter is not of age, they state a list of persons to his care. They are, by male order, Sirius Orion Black (Godfather), Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore, Sebastian Delacour. Harry saw the king turn up his brow at the first and last name, but didn't ask as the teller went on. "Now by female order, Alice Longbottom (Godmother), Pandora Lovegood, Apoline Delacour. He again saw the king react to the last name again but said nothing. If all above are dead or unable, then he is to be emancipated and taken care of by a house of his own choice. That is all." He concluded.

"SharpClaw, please tell us the amount stored in their vault, which would be 420, right?" King Ragnok asked. "The current amount would be 45000 Galleons. And the amount in the trust vault is a hundred Galleons, which is to be refilled with the last 45000 of the main vault on Mr, Potter's birthday." King Ragnok turned red with rage as he heard Harry say. "But that can't be true. I have no idea about the main vault but I'm sure I have never extracted any money from my trust vault other than the only time I came here. Mrs. Weasley used buy me…." Here he went silent. "Tell me, how many times and how much has been extracted from Mr. Potter's vaults?" Ragnok asked. SharpClaw fumbled with his papers. "The vault originally held nineteen million galleons." Harry looked up as he continued. "Oh don't be surprised Mr. Potter. Your mother was a very well known potion mistress and warder, also your father was an auror who had managed to take down many magical creatures and wanted men in his career life. They never spent much, kept saving it all for you. Anyway, there have been 27 transactions over the last six years, by one Albus Dumbledore from the family vaults and 7 from the trust vault by a Molly Weasley." "Let me guess Mr. Potter. These withdrawals were made without your consent?" Seeing an enraged Harry nod, King Ragnok said. "Then according to the law, they have committed severe crimes against the Potter family. As the law states, the money they have stolen will be returned to the Potter vaults with fifty percent interest. A further hundred thousand Galleons shall be placed in the vaults as re compensation for our lack of duty in this matter. He saw Harry trying to protest but gave him no chance. "Mr. Potter, we will do this as soon as you take an oath that the complaint is true and we will also need your memory of the first time you visited Gringots. I'll walk you through the process. And while the evidence will be viewed and action taken, we can discuss other matters. Now take my hand and repeat after me."

Harry repeated the oath he had practiced with Ragnok as he took out his wand. Then they walked him through the process of taking his memory. After all was said and done, Ragnok sent SharpClaw to figure out the rest as he sat down across him. "So now that that's over, we can go through the will again so that we may find you an appropriate guardian this time." Harry nodded as he waited to hear what the goblin king might say. "Alright, Albus Dumbledore is now out of the list. Sirius Black is...you know what Mr. Potter? I think I'll tell you something I feel I'm obligated to. It's about your mother." Harry took a deep breath at that, hoping that he'd get something about her. "Please go on."

King Ragnok exhaled deeply. "You see, your mother is well known in goblin nation and respected too. That's because she was the only witch we've known to treat us as friends. While others may have see us their equals, your mother trusted and cared for us. We can only honor her by returning the same feelings. You may have heard that we were attacked in the last war against the dark lord known as Voldemort. We were left to fend for ourselves. Not the whole goblin nation, but they attacked the bank. I was here that day. They lost heavily, but that was inevitable. What mattered and still does is that the minute they stepped in, all the wizards and witches present fled. Only your mother remained." He heard a sharp intake of breath. "Your mother was an extraordinary person Mr. Potter. She fought alongside us risking her life, though she didn't have to. She never backed down in presence of evil. That woman, she put our best to shame that day. In the end, we won but the last one left an unknown withering curse as a parting gift on me. She rushed to my side and without her aid, I would be dead now. Since that day, I see her as family. I'm sure many feel the same way. And with what I know, I have failed her when she died and failed her son for all the lies and abuse he went through. So Mr. Potter I can only offer my head as an apology, for in my nation, most would see this as the least appropriate punishment."

Tears ran down Harry's cheek as he listened to how kind and brave his mother was. Even Petunia broke down hearing about her sister. He felt a bit angry at the king, but he knew the wizard world was highly prejudiced. Had the king tried anything, he may have been exposed to another war. And he felt his mother would never let a friend go. So he gathered himself. "From, what you have told me and from what I know, my mother was a person who loved her family and friends. Your confession alone is enough for her forgiveness, I hope. As for me, I feel a bit angry but I know your nation would face a war if you went out of your way to protect me. So, I don't hold you responsible." King Ragnok looked at him. "Thank you. It rests my soul to know you are not angry with me. Now, I hope we can skip the formalities. From now on you can call me Ragnok if you wish to. I only hope you will extend your friendship to me as your Lily did." Harry held out his hand. "Only if you call me Harry." They shook hands and returned to the business at hand.

Over the next couple of hours they decided that all the families that had been decided to care for Harry were either dead, or unable, or had now fallen below their standards. Ragnok gave Harry a feral grin as he decided that Harry was to emancipated as he had no other candidates. Harry chose Petunia as his mentor. For a magical one he decided to wait to find one. After his emancipation, Ragnok told him more about his family to pass the time. He learned that his father originally came from an ancient pureblood line called the Nightshades. His grandfather was not pleased when he heard his heir was interested in a mudblood so threatened him with disowning him. James Nightshade was more than happy to cast off his last name and take up the name Potter as he married Lily Evans. Now with his only heir gone, Charles Nightshade feared of the family dying out. He tried to convince James but he never budged. Desperate, he left a will stating his grandson may take up the family name and uphold the pureblood honor if he was willing to undergo a blood 'cleansing' ritual that would cast out the mudblood in him. "And dishonor my own parents? No fucking thanks." Harry snorted. They finally discussed about their decisions about leaving and finally concluded they would leave the country and Harry would continue in a new school.

Harry thought of his friends at school. 'What friends?' His mind asked him. His 'friend' Ron had run away scared when they had to face the challenges in his first year and called him the heir of Slytherin during the second year. Hermione Granger, his other friend stuck to his side until she was petrified. In vain he had tried to convince her otherwise. She kept shrinking away from him, saying he knew he'd get caught so he closed the chambers. Hedwig, his owl had died in the chamber, she took out the eyes of the basilisk but not before she was bitten. The only friends or at least friendly ones left were Madam Pomfrey, and the Gryffindor chasers Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson. They didn't really stick by his side but if they were nearby when he was slandered, they always defended him. He wouldn't miss them much though. 'So I'm really leaving.' He thought.

Harry opted for ideas regarding his schooling. Here Ragnok recommended Harry try for Salem School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, as the headmistress was an old friend of Lily Potter. Just then SharpClaw entered the room announcing the matters were dealt with. Harry was sure he saw the goblin give a feral grin as he said so, but he chose to ignore the implications.

Harry thanked Ragnok for his advice as he now decided to move away as fast as they could. He knew Dumbledore would come looking. "We'll start today. Ragnok, could you please help with the immigration and finding a proper house near the school? I'll also be very grateful if you could get me in touch with Mrs. Inkheart. I hope she'll accept me." "Don't worry Harry, she'd gladly take you under her wing. Plus, your adventures are more than enough reasons for her to do it as fast as she can. Let me talk her first though. I can deal with the formal stuff. If she agrees, you can meet her there. Your aunt can join me if she likes. As for your home, I take it that you want a spacious home for a small family to live in?" Harry nodded at Ragnok's question. "Then I'll tell my subjects to look over it. I'll also get someone to sell out the house at privet drive. Your things would be moved away for now. When we find a home, we'll ward it and move your things there. And no, no charges. Consider this an apology for our actions as well. You just stay here and rest up."

Harry was about to do just that, but he felt a warm presence in his mind that urged him to come to it. He reached for his left pocket and found the leaf. He felt it tug at him. "You know what? You guys go ahead and settle the things. I'll be back after a short while." He stopped their protests when he said he was paying a visit to Godric's Hollow. Exiting the bank, he took the leaf in his hands and let his magic wash over it. He instantly felt a tug at his naval as he was whisked away.

[…]

Harry found himself in front of the broken building he dreamed of last night. He found a white wall nearby. Numerous writings were on it, thanking the Potters for their bravery and sacrifice. Many mentioned him as well. He felt proud of his family and felt obligated to continue their legacy. He pushed past the gate and followed the path he took in his dreams. Just as he was about to enter the room he had seen, A bright flash of blue entered his sight.

"Hello Harry." The musical voice sounded like a female, and it belonged to the magnificent creature in front of him. It….She was a large majestic bird. Her blue feathers looked like they were aflame, and when she spread her wings, her whole body cackled with lightning.

"Who are you?" Harry asked, his wand in his hands. He kept it down though, to show respect. "Who? Not what?" She laughed musically. "Good question Harry. I am an Anuzu. Do you know about my kind?" The bird asked. Harry shook his head no. "I'm not surprised." He heard the bird say. "My kind are not so well known. Most have wrong ideas about us, though the Sumerian and Akkadian mythology had it right. My kind are not simple magical creatures as many think Harry. We are the divine storm-birds who personify the southern winds and thunder clouds. We can control the winds and lightning at will. We also have a bit power over fire, but not much. And yes, we can do other stuff too but we're getting off track here. I think the more important question is, why have I called you here?" Harry nodded. "Well, you see Harry, my mother, Vitae was one day hunted after while she was soaring these winds. She managed to escape, but she was pregnant so she could not use her powers and that is the only time the female of our kind are mortal. Long story short, she was mortally wounded, your mother Lily found her and managed to keep her alive long enough so that she could give birth to me. Before death, she out of gratitude gave her blessing and gave permission to bond me to you if you were worthy. And your mother on her last days knew she would not escape with you, so decided to give me her knowledge and a few memories as a fail-safe. And now your here." She finished.

Harry was not convinced. He found holes in the story. "You say your mom died giving birth to you. So how do you know what you know? I know my mother could help you understand your kind but she wouldn't know how to train you or help you learn your powers? And why is it that nobody knows about you?" He was sure she gave him an impressed look before answering. "Anuzu pass on their knowledge to their newborn at the time of birth. That way we can easily survive even without guidance. And I was a fail-safe Harry. Your mother kept me a secret because she could not trust anyone at that moment. Your father was a good man Harry, but in the magical world there are numerous ways to manipulate someone. So, there you go." Satisfied with her answer, Harry asked again. "So what now?"

She eyed the boy before her as she contemplated. He was not someone who trusts easily, but that came with his abuse. He had his faults. He was magically weak, somehow he had overcome that. In fact, she could feel his aura even in the last dream. And it was growing. He was a bit daft in a few areas, but that's why she was here. He could be real scary when he was pissed, but that was normal. But most importantly, despite all the abuse, betrayal and pains he had gone through, he had a heart vast as the sky. Just like his mother. Harry Potter was a worthy one indeed.

Harry waited as the Anuzu was obviously looking him over before saying anything else. She finally spoke out. "Both our mothers hoped that we would be bonded and our friendship would help us go through the dark times we face now. I certainly find you worthy Harry Potter. But this bond would cost us. For me my freedom and for you, the same. We can never live without each other. We will absorb each others traits and may not be the same us as time passes. Do you accept that?" "I do." Harry solemnly replied. She gave him a 'brace yourself' look as she suddenly dived at him. Out of nowhere, he saw a violent thunderstorm wrap around himself, as his skin was being covered with blue fire." Harry lost consciousness as he felt a huge surge of power within chocking himself.

[…]

Harry woke up groggily and found himself on the floor. He picked himself up. Looking around and squinting his eyes he asked. 'Tempestas? Your mother named you Cer Tempestas?' He heard a giggle in his brain, at least he thought he did. She appeared in front of him as she answered. 'Funny isn't it? A fitting name too, I warn you. I have a temper. So better watch out before putting your foot in your mouth. And feel free to call me Tempest if the name sounds too long.' 'Okay so, we're bonded now?' Harry asked, hoping he'd never do anything to set a divine bird of storms off. 'Yes, yes we are. And that's why we're mentally communicating. No matter how far away we may be, we can always track and talk to each other. That and you get a boost in your power, some new powers as well. I'll teach you later on. On the other hand I get someone to care after and fight alongside me. Quite a deal, don't you think?' "I guess. Though it's kinda hard to take in. Anyway, I think it's best if we don't let others know yet. We should settle in first then I'll call you over. Promise I'll call you tomorrow." He spoke out. "Good idea. Then I'll just fly around till you call me. Don't worry about the distance, I can make it in a blink. For now touch my tail. I'll transport you back to the bank." She voiced. Harry touched her tail and disappeared in a flash of light.

[…]

Back in Gringots, Ragnok was anxiously waiting for Harry. In his focus to get things done, he never thought how Harry could get to Godric's Hollow and back. His and Petunia's tensions were dispelled the moment they saw Harry walking in the room.

"Harry." Petunia called out with relief. "We talked to Mrs. Inkheart and she is eager to welcome you to Salem. Ragnok managed our citizenship as well. We looked over houses and I think we found the right one. Now all we have to do is floo over to Mrs. Inkheart's office after we pack up here." Harry nodded and promptly went to work with them.

For the next three and a half hours, they packed up. Harry liked the house very much. It was big, with many rooms and even had a swimming pool in the back. As soon as he chose, the goblins moved their things in and started warding. Ragnok gave him a wallet and his aunt a handbag that was linked to their vaults. Harry thanked him for his gifts and help, and with a promise to visit, left to start the next part of his great adventure.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-Questions and a Place to Call Home**

Mr. Dumbledore

We have found evidence against you of theft from the Potter family vaults, ignoring your duty as a will-keeper and lastly, neglecting your charge as Harry James Potter's magical guardian. For the first crime, the money you have stolen has been deducted with interest from your personal and group vault dedicated to 'The Order of the Phoenix'. For the second, your vaults have been voided. The remaining 1000 Galleons are enclosed in the envelop. As for the last offense, it is not punishable by wizard law. However, a behead on sight order has been passed on you, should you ever dare to step on goblin lands again.

Head Teller

Gringots

Terse and to the point. Exactly what made a wizard fear for his own skin.

He sighed heavily as he read the letter over again. As said, a thousand Galleons had been enclosed in the envelop. That's all he had left now. Even the order vault had been drained dry then voided. Not only that, the goblins seemed to have gone out for blood against anyone who took from the vaults. This morning, he had listen to Molly Weasley's legendary rants as she screamed out how her personal vault had been bled dry and voided. He had given her Harry's trust vault key quite some time ago. He knew well about her greed and was certain she would help herself as much as she could. But he had hoped that she would in return be grateful to Harry and help him out. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have his staunch supporters in a better state. Now, as he looked back he was sure it backfired. She had shown a bit care for Harry but he was certain it was fake. Ronald Weasley, the one who he had hoped would become Harry's best friend was coward, and simply backed out when needed the most. He also remembered the boy calling Harry the 'Heir of Slytherin'. And now Molly had come up to him about a plan of marrying her only daughter to the boy, to make sure she or her daughter could dig their claws in again. He always felt that the Weasley's are staunch supporters of the light, even now. But he was not so sure about Molly. "Something has to be done. Or she will cause more damage." He thought aloud. "Ginny is a good girl. She won't try anything on Harry just because her mother told her to." He assured himself. Now he had to deal with the biggest problem of all.

Harry Potter.

For some reason, both Harry Potter and his aunt had disappeared in thin air. Why he could not tell. But he was sure by now that the soul fragment of Voldemort was no longer in the boy. This made him feel relieved. The boy may still play his part in the dark lord's defeat, but now he no longer had to die to do so. He was also certain that it was Harry who had informed the goblins of his 'takings'. He sighed. All he ever did with the money was take the fight to darkness and try to help Harry get a family. 'Look how that turned out.' He mocked himself. Now, well he had to disclose his plans to Harry and hope to get the funding he needed again. Or beg others. If only he could find Harry.

Though the question that racked his mind was not where Harry was, but why had he left. As far as he knew, Harry was a kind but wary soul. He had been orphaned, it gets to a person's heart. He had been living with his aunt. She was a lonely woman and more than happy to take him in. There was love between the two he was sure. So maybe because he had to face all these 'problems' in his two years at Hogwarts. It would also explain his neglect of charges as a magical guardian. He should not have let Harry face any of it, but he had no choice. He had to see if Harry was the child of the prophecy, one who could fight off Voldemort. His weak magical core had him in doubt, but Harry had overcome all odds with his intelligence and courage. He had to do it, to make sure Harry was ready to face a threat whenever necessary. But now he realized that Harry was but a 13 year old boy when he faced the dark lord. Not an age to fight, let alone the most feared being in the wizard world. He's classmates had not been very supportive either. He had he's own secrecy to blame for that. Hiding Harry's valiant actions had cost the boy deeply. Even his only friend now hated him.

'Well done, Dumbie. You practically screwed the boy over. No wonder he left.' He thought. He promised himself that after Harry had been found, he would keep no more secrets. He would train him, guide him so he can be his own. But until he was found, what would he say to the world? The school year was not far away.

For the first time in his life, Albus Dumbledore felt like a blind old fool.

[...]

Harry was eagerly waiting for Mrs. Inkheart. Last day, when they exited (tumbled down for Harry) the fireplace in her office, they had found it empty. On her desk was a note saying she had gotten stuck in her duties and would visit them tomorrow morning. She had also requested to write down their address so she would not have a hard time searching in case she forgot. Beside which was another note, typed in saying their new home was named Breezehome and to use the floo to come in. So Harry promptly wrote the name on Mrs. Inkheart's note and with his aunt, left for their home.

When they arrived (or flipped over in Harry's case, for some weird reason even aunt Petunia was graceful in her exit) they found themselves in a house that screamed of comfort and even luxury. Harry saw a goblin awaiting them with a smirk on his face. After that well, he chuckled as he remembered his aunt's expression when told that all her favorite furniture was thrown away. That changed within seconds when she was informed and shown that now they were proud owners of antique furniture from a french baron's place, courtesy of Ragnok. The house was large, with a drawing room, guest room, dining room, kitchen and storage room downstairs. Upstairs was a study, two bedrooms not counting the master and another room where Harry was told he could practice magic without worrying about causing any damage. The outside was just as lovely. The house was covered in front with a garden that had only cleared off the pathway to the house. And there was a huge pool in the back. Not only that, now they had two house elves, Grumpy and Booker to look after the place. Petunia looked more than excited and wanted to take a tour, but Harry felt exhausted. So after the goblin left, Harry said goodnight and just dropped on his bed. He slept like a log.

Harry was awakened by a gentle push over his shoulder this morning. He saw his aunt smiling at him out of the corner of his eyes as he stretched. "Rise and shine sweetie." She was jumping up and down with excitement. "What will you do today?" She asked. "Guess I'll just take a tour. And Mrs. Inkheart did say she'll come." "Okay. Breakfast will be ready in 15 minutes," She said leaving. So he simply went up and around the house taking a tour. He found that the house looked like it had been renovated recently. The walls had been painted with tasteful colors. The furniture and decorations only added to its beauty. Despite all its richness, he felt at home. He met the two elves who seemed to be excited to have a new family. Then he had the largest breakfast in his entire life found himself in his room again, awaiting Mrs. Inkheart.

He didn't have time to dwell on his thoughts however, as he heard Petunia's voice from downstairs. "Harry, Mrs. Inkheart is here." "Show time." He muttered as he got up.

[...]

Alessandra Alexis Inkheart was a no-nonsense, steel-nerved woman who had little tolerance for bullshit. But yesterday when she was informed that Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived of Britain was knee deep in trouble and asking for a way out of the country, shit reached an entire new level. Britain's golden boy leaving Britain? That sounded like an impossible idea. "Damn it Lily." She muttered as she reached for the bell. Somehow, her best friend was right again, even years after her death.

She was of course, more than happy to know that she would finally meet Harry, not the Boy-Who-Lived mind you but the boy who was her best friend's son. She just hoped the boy was not an attention seeking self-praising brat like his father was. She never did like James, but after that happened she outright hated him. She pushed those thoughts away as she waited. She would have to be focused for the upcoming conversation. Dumbledore probably didn't tell him shit. She felt bad yet proud for him. For what he had to face at such an age, and that he pulled it off with flying colors. 'Here goes nothing.' She thought as she greeted the woman she suspected to be Lily's sister. "Is Harry home?"

"So, Harry." The boy before her looked a bit under for his age. Yet his eyes, to her they seemed like they had seen a lot. And the way he held himself spoke of one who had gone through a lifetime of experiences. She felt him searching her very soul with those. Just like Lily. She took a sip of water from her glass to calm herself. "I take it that Dumbledore was one of the reasons why you left?" Harry nodded carefully, watching her. "We'll talk about that later. First thing first. I am Alessandra Alexis Inkheart, Headmistress of The Salem School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. But more importantly, I am your mother's best friend and she is mine. Now that introductions are done, I would like to tell you things you may or may not have been told. I want you to promise me that you will not not judge or show any emotions over what I say, or ponder over it or question me before I am done. If I miss anything I can tell you after. Okay?" He seemed a bit nervous, but he nodded yes. "Good. I'll be as brief yet informative as I can."

"Petunia, could you please leave? Whatever I say next is very personal to both Harry and Lily. If it gets out…."

"I understand." Petunia left the room. "Let's begin, shall we?" She asked as she set up privacy charms.

[...]

"Harry, if you need time to process what I've just said then it's okay. We can continue tomorrow." He felt her gentle hands on his shoulder.

He was crying. He was crying for his parents. For everyone and everything he ever lost. For the world being so unfair. "Why me?" He asked himself more than her. "All I ever wanted was a normal life with my family. Why can't I have that? I just wanna see my mum and my dad again. Is that too much to ask?"

"Harry, I know it's not fair. That damned prophecy took my best friend, my only friend in the world. I miss her a lot. I know she's your mom, but I remember her. It hurts when I remember at every turn of my life that she's not here anymore. I…."

"Tell me about her. What she was like."

He heard her take a breath. "She-I met her when I was eight years old. She had cut her hand and needed help. So I took her home. Mamma was a witch. She healed her. That's when she first learned about this world. She was my best friend ever since. She was kind and loving, always helping when I needed it. Sometimes I didn't even have to ask. She'd just come up and smile, then give me a hand. Later she went to Hogwarts, my family moved to America. I went to Salem. We'd write each other. She sent a necklace one day, a portkey. We'd visit each other in secret. God, I loved her so much." She looked lost in her memories.

"She graduated and married your dad. You were born. She looked so happy with you in her arms. She loved you so much. Never let you out of her sight, not even once." She smiled as she seemed to relive those memories. "And then the goddamned war began."

She looked at him. "She changed. Became distant and quiet. Tucked herself away in her books and researches. Once she heard the prophecy, she immersed herself in her studies even more. She even refused to take you and hide. Your dad forced her to do it."

"And now they're gone." He felt oddly calm. "She was trying to break the prophecy wasn't she?"

A surprised gasp met his question. "She was, at least that's what she said so. Voldemort had to mark you to make the prophecy active. She said she couldn't let that happen."

"Enough with the history. Tell me if mom told you anything that can help me kill those bastards." He said in a cold voice. His hands were shaking with rage.

"Your mother called me just the night before they went into hiding. She told me what would happen. I didn't believe her. Then she told me there was no way to stop the prophecy anymore. She gave me her journal. Told me I'd see you one day and to pass it on. Then she made me do a ritual." She stopped as she looked at him, her eyes filled with emotion.

"What ritual?" He couldn't help but ask.

"One that bound me to you as your Godmother." She replied.

"But, don't you just name someone? And I didn't see your name on the will either." He was confused now.

"By blood Harry. Your blood is coursing through through my veins." She held up her right hand, and he could see a circle with runes just under her wrist. "She made me promise on our friendship that night, that when the time comes I will help you to fulfill your destiny, to become the man that she'd be proud to call her son. I took an oath on our friendship that I'd give you a choice no matter what. Harry, your mom left me as her last option to give you a life. She even left you free of any responsibilities you might not want."

"Okay. Like what?"

"She never completed the ritual. You or your mom can willingly allow me to give you my blood, making us family and compelled to each other. She left that choice to you." Did he hear hope I her voice?

"Mrs. Inkheart, I don't know what to say. I can tell you that I want to go and kill Dumbledore right now. He probably placed my family there so that the prophecy can be activated. Then Voldemort. I want to wipe him out of existence, just so that I can get my revenge. But I know that's not the way to do it and nor am I ready. You say my mum left you to make sure I can overcome my obstacles. Then what are we waiting for?"

"Well said. But remember Harry, this isn't going to be school anymore. Sure you'll be studying in Salem but this will be preparation for a war. I'm gonna make sure that you get a shot at your goals and if that means I'm gonna have to work you to near death you be sure I'll do it. As many times as I have to."

Harry felt a feral grin forming on his face. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow. And skip the Mrs. Or no deal."

[...]

Harry was sitting on his bed, lost in thought. Today was productive. He met Mrs. Inkheart, er, Alex today. He finally knew about the doom looming upon his head. And he had a way to train and to fight back. Not bad. But he still had questions. And he knew he wasn't comfortable or trusting enough to ask her about it, yet. 'Damn it. I need to know.' He thought. Suddenly bright blue light filled his room. 'Miss me?' He heard as a smile lit up on his face.

 **A.N. Sorry for the long wait. I kinda got wrapped up in my work. Anyway, here's the next chapter. And, the reason why I skipped the prophecy is that we have read it so many times that I think most of us can say it in our sleep. So why bother? If not, then I'm sticking with the original prophecy. Go ahead and search.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. Well, another chapter down. I took so long to post this because I was changing my mind every five minutes and starting all over again. And I had tons of work. I fear my future updates will be a bit slow like this. So sorry guys for the delay and, enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5- One Hell of a Summer**

"Sirius Black!" He yelled. "Sirius Black!" Getting no response, the guard auror looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry sir, but it looks like he's ignoring us, as always."

"Well, let's go to his cell then. I want a photo taken of that bastard, to show the public an example of betrayal and going dark. I want them to know what it costs. Barkiss."

"Yes, sir, The camera is ready."

"Very well. Auror Breaker, lead the way."

The group slowly approached the convict's cell, auror Breaker trying show zeal as he carefully lead the group. This was the minister, and being extra careful would show him in a better light.

"Here we are sir. The cell of Sirius Black. Please stand back while I open it."

"Agh! The stench is insufferable!" He commented, holding his handkerchief to his face.

"Sir, the cell is open. If you and Mr. Barkiss will kindly…." He heard the auror stop, gasp. When he turned, his face was as pale as a white sheet.

"What?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"Minister, Sirius Black has escaped!"

[…]

Harry was absolutely exhausted. He breath was ragged, and his body numb from the pain. And the day had just started.

Just like she promised, Alex had come over the next day and immediately kicked off his training. He was forced to run two miles as early as 5 am in the morning. After that, combat lessons which ended up being her wiping the floor with him, over and over again. Then came dueling, where he pretty much shocked her and himself when he fired a reducto at her. It came out like a highly overpowered version of the spell, which if had hit her would have probably ended her life. And it just won't go down. He now seemed to have infinite power, almost overpowering any spell he might use. His new wand didn't help improve matters. It seemed to need no proper commands for triggering. He could throw out any spell without any incantations with the same power output. All he needed was a clear understanding of the spell he would cast and it would fly of his wand. No movement were needed after some practice. Then there was weapons training, which he need not mention sucked at. Finally Alex had left at around 6 pm, giving him two books and told him to finish up within the next day. His last thought before going to bed was he couldn't do this.

The next day when she had come, she made him run two miles again, this time under a time limit. After that during combat lessons, she suddenly stopped and what followed was an interesting conversation.

"Harry, stop." She dropped her stance.

"Huh? Why?" He asked. "Did I do anything?"

"No. Tell me why are you doing this again?" She asked out of the blue.

"To get stronger, better?" He replied, not getting it.

"To get stronger, better for what?" She asked with her arms crossed.

Harry couldn't reply.

"Answer me!" She thundered.

He flinched but no words came to his mouth.

"I said, answer me and I want that answer now!"

"Because I want to prove that I'm worth it!" He yelled back.

"Give me a reason why you're not." She told him, in a gentle voice.

He fell on the grass, telling her about his life until now. All the pain and sorrow he had to endure, all the dangers he had to face. The rejection, the failures, all of it. Why he feared the world looks down upon him, how strongly he believed he would never make it. He poured his heart out, never before had he confided this much in a person. And when he finished, he found himself in a tender embrace of a mother, tears pouring down both of their cheeks. "Oh, Harry." was all she said. Yet he found strength in her embrace. That night, when he went to bed, he felt free.

From the next day in, he put his heart and soul into his training and steadily improved. Not because he had to prove himself, nor because he had to. Because he wanted to. He found himself in learning, and took his training like a fish to water. Still, he had a long way to go. However, the way Alex continuously kept increasing his burden was not helping.

"Alex, do I really have to dodge your hexes while I run two damned miles, not to mention under a time limit which by the way keeps getting shorter and shorter? Don't you think your overdoing it a bit?" He panted, clearly out of breath.

"Why, yes you have to. Remember what I told you the first day? And yes, I know I'm overdoing it honey. It's for your own good. Besides, it's kinda funny every time I hex you. Man, you sure yelp like a sissy." She gave him a taunting smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He muttered, knowing he'd never catch a break.

"Come on, girly. Time for combat training."

"Oh come on! At least let me have some water!" He protested.

"Aguamenti."

"You're insufferable."

"Why thank you, your highness. And it's your fault. Careful what you ask for Potter, or you might have to soak in it."

"Yes, Mrs. Inkheart." He deadpanned.

"Aguamenti" Was the cold, cold reply.

[…]

Ginarva Molly Weasley was deep in thought. She was thinking about how innocent she was. She believed the world to be perfect. Nothing was wrong in her little world. Her family doted on her, she lived in absolute bliss and her nighttime dreams were filled with stories of the Boy-Who-Lived that her mother used to read to her each night. But last year, everything changed.

Last year, she had been possessed by a soul fragment of the Dark Lord trapped in a diary. She released Slytherin's monster on her school, petrified many students and had nearly killed one. She still felt bad that Hedwig died trying to fight the basilisk. She saw her own life being drained away by the vile being, and was incapable of doing anything. And all that happened in the safest place in magical Britain, where her brothers studied with her. If Harry had not rescued her she certainly would have died.

Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived, her knight in shining armor. That image had shattered when she saw his fight with the god knows how long serpent. He believed she had been unconscious through the fight and he was right. But she had seen the whole fight from both the serpent and the fragment's viewpoint. She saw Harry struggle against the monster, and only with Hedwig's sacrifice had he gotten an advantage. He nearly died too, only Fawkes had come in time. The phoenix's tears had saved him. In the end, she knew that the perfect Harry she dreamed of never existed. But the rusty, dented-armored, humanly Harry Potter that she saw that day was….breathtaking. He fought against overwhelming odds, just to save his friend. She saw fear in his eyes that day but he never backed down. He was not the Harry she had a crush on, but he was a friend, a person who was brave and bighearted. One who would gladly give away his life for others. She felt respect and cared deeply for him now, and hoped that in time she would come to love him and him her. She vowed never to be another fan-girl nuisance to him, but a friend he could rely on. However, her mother's conversation with her this morning made her suspect that she might not feel the same way.

"Ginny, dear. Can we talk?" Her mom was busy making lunch in the kitchen.

"Sure mom. What's up?" She went over, lending her mother a hand.

"Thank you dear. You sure will grow up to be a wonderful woman."

"It's nothing mom." The compliment left her cheeks flaming red.

"Oh, shush. Learn to take credit for your work." Her mother sighed. "I worry for you and your brothers dear."

So this is about that event, again. "I know mom. But we'll be fine this year. I'll be extra careful this time. I'll even hex Fred and George if they step out of line. I promise."

"I know dear. You're a good little girl. But if Harry hadn't saved you…." She sighed again.

Her words set Ginny on guard. They had talked about this numerous times. But she never mentioned Harry before. Only when she wanted to express her gratitude for saving her daughter, and that was once.

"I know that you returned safe and sound honey. But Harry, if that boy hadn't been there at the right place at the right time, god knows what could have happened. And he is a human. He has his limits. I just worry that one day he won't be able to handle it all on his own." She continued, eying her daughter.

'My mother? Saying Harry bloody Potter is but a human? He has his limits? Oh, god take me now.' She groaned inwardly. 'Watch out Gin, mum's up to something.' "Oh mom don't worry about Harry. He's a great person. He can handle anything if he has his friends by his side."

"I'm afraid he's doesn't have many sweetheart. If any at all. Your brother was not very kind to him this year. And the muggleborn one, Hermi-whatever blamed the entire thing on him."

Ginny was treading carefully now. She needed to make her position clear without enraging her. "And that's why mom, I've decided that I'll be his friend from now on. Should he need me, I'll always be by his side. No more fawning over him." She saw her frown at her comment. Was that disappointment in her eyes?

"Ginny, that's an excellent decision. But I'm afraid friends are not always enough. He'll need someone closer than that."

Wait. Did she just hint at that? "Mom, I don't know what your talking about."

Her mother sighed. "Honey, friends leave. They misunderstand, they can't always be trusted completely. Harry is a wary soul. He doesn't trust easily. And it's an easy guess that he doesn't get enough love and care he needs from anyone. So maybe, just maybe he needs someone who can give it to him."

She continued as Ginny kept silent. "You've fawned over him before you even met him. Admit it dear, you care for him. And now that I've seen he would come to save you risking his own life, I'm sure he cares for you too."

"Mom, I'm not sure he sees me like that."

"Oh sure he does honey. He's just a bit oblivious. And he doesn't know what's good for him. That's why you'll be there to make sure he sees that clearly."

"But mom-"

"No buts dear. I know that it's hard but even I had to 'encourage' your dad to see it. I'll get you some new dresses. And your robes are bit too big I think. I'll have to show you how to move a bit 'freely' if you want to catch his attention."

After that, Ginny just nodded along while her mother showered advices on her about boys and how to catch their attention, what Harry might like. She even hinted that she wouldn't mind intimacy to a certain extent.

"You need to help the lad find his feelings for you. He's an innocent at heart. Just think of those horrible witches trying to tie him down so that they can get a hold of his fame and riches. The Potter family was very rich. And he's actually a Nightshade. They are one of the purest and richest blood in this country. Help him understand his position in society and that you belong with him by his side. Okay, dear?"

By that time lunch was ready. Ginny just nodded her head and headed upstairs. And now that she thought about it, she couldn't help but feel her mother was encouraging her to seduce him. She shook herself violently at the thought. She would never do that to Harry. She'll be his friend. 'And if he ever takes interest in me, then I'll see where we go from there. Wouldn't hurt to help him notice me though.' She thought. She won't certainly do it her mother's way, but a few changes in her wardrobe wouldn't hurt either.

[…]

Alex hit him again, this time on the side as he went down for the umpteenth time.

"Well, the good news is that your getting better and better at running and evading. You've toned down a lot and should have a lot of stamina. So we'll start doing physical exercises. Combat training is good too. You've learned the basics. Now we'll move on a bit more complex moves. I'm hundred percent sure that you're not overpowering your spells at this point, so you should be magically stable. But your accuracy is still horrible. You need to work harder. And you suck with weapons. Guns are a maybe, but they aren't any help with your horrible accuracy." She summed up.

"Ouch. Did ya have to put it that way? I'm not that bad you know." He tried to give her the puppy dog eyes as he got up, but failed miserably.

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "You look hilarious when you do that. And yes, you are that bad. Don't worry, you'll get better."

"Okay, enough fooling around. I think it's safe to say you'll never be any good with swords or daggers or any alike soon. So we'll skip that. Instead, we'll spend more time in close quarters combat and improving your accuracy." She continued in a serious tone.

"I'm okay with that." Came his determined reply. And then he had to go trip on the staff he was holding, making her erupt with laughter.

"Okay, not just blades, you suck with staffs as well. Good to know." She choked out between her laughter. Harry just looked at her, clearly not amused.

"However Harry, the real bad news is summer is almost over. And at the rate we are progressing, it just won't be enough." She hated to shoot him down, but this was necessary.

"What? But I'm doing everything I can!" He looked hurt.

"I know you are. It's just that we don't have the time. If we are gonna pull this off, then we need to crank it up a notch."

"How?"

"First of all, we need to get rid of the malnourishment you are suffering from. Then make sure you get a growth spurt and also we need to work on your muscles. You know how to throw a punch, but you lack the power. Nutrition and enhancing potions can take care of that. Your mother's recipe, of course." She winked at him. "Then comes the matter of learning. We spend the whole day doing so many things that we have no time to squeeze in for studying. This needs a solution. And I think I got one." She paused for dramatic effect.

"Well?" Harry asked her as she kept stalling.

"Behold! The Hold of Knowledge!" She waved her hands in an exaggerated manner, while a small golden disk suddenly popped on her right palm.

"Oh, my. What have we here." He deadpanned, clearly tired of her theatrics.

"Uh uh, Harry. You should not make fun, after all your mother used to call it by that name." She admonished playfully.

Harry went silent. He looked at the disklike object in her hands.

"This is one of your mother's inventions. And probably one of the reasons why she knew that yetis exist. Anyway, as you can see, it's completely covered in runes. This little baby allows you to literally read in your sleep." She stopped, noticing he was already lost.

"Okay, notice how we see dreams in our sleep? It's not exactly random, it doesn't have to be. With proper training on the mind, one can control about what they dream of. Like simply reviewing your memories of the day. Watching it over and over again. Or even dragging out memories from way back, when you were 2 years old even. This can be used to read a book too. Just skim over the pages, simply storing the image of each pages in your mind. That way you cover the book in say, 15 minutes."

"Then I can use the eight hours I sleep off to read the book all over again." He added.

"Exactly. What's even better is that you don't have to actively remember it all. Your mind stores everything, and I mean every event you've seen. Nothing's omitted. You just don't recall it strongly enough. With this trick, you can dream yourself a library. Where you can store all the knowledge you have for easier active recall."

"I can even cross-reference them, and search for a topic to instantly have access to all the info I have on that." He said excitedly.

"That's the idea. Sadly, reaching that stage will take time. However, this" She held it up emphasis, "Will allow you to do exactly that without any mastery of the mind. Just skim over a book, or a hundred if you wish it, then just put this disk under your pillow and go to sleep. It'll do the rest. Even make a library in dream scape." She finished, handing him the disk.

"This was Lily's, take care of it." she said softly.

Just then a strong gust of wind blew past them, and a musical trill followed. "You guys done for the day?"

"Hello Tempest." She greeted her with a smile.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked the majestic bird as she sat on his left shoulder.

"Stretching my wings. Can't stay home all day and doze, can I?" The bird replied.

Harry and Tempest continued to have a mental conversation as Alex remembered the first time she saw her. She chuckled as she remembered Petunia fainting at the sight of a large, flaming blue bird, while she herself fawned over Tempest, asking all kinds of questions. She never saw Harry laugh harder than that day and he still poked fun at her for that.

"Hey Alex." Tempest's voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Mind if I take an hour from you two? Looks like you guys are done for the day, and I just thought it might be a good time for…."

"Sure. Why not? Let's go inside and freshen up, shall we? Then we can talk."

Harry was patiently waiting in the study as Alex was still not back from the shower yet. "Here you go Harry. Munch on these as she comes back." Aunt Petunia handed him some snacks. "Thanks" He mouthed as he popped one in.

"So how's training going? Good?" She asked as she sat down beside him.

"I suck and you know that. I mean come on! You've seen me with those weapons. I couldn't even move around the staff at all." He laughed.

"Yeah." She joined in. "I remember once Alex just bonked you on the head with hers and you went down yelling like a sissy."

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Ahem, Kids! Now that Alex is here, can we get down to business?" Tempest's voice broke in on them.

Once they settled in, Tempest started. "Look, what we will discuss today is simple and yet very, very important. Some of it is are closely guarded secrets, or too diabolical in nature to discuss. So I'm sorry to say petunia that you'll have to leave when I ask you to. You have no mental defenses against wizards who may try to glean the information from you. So…."

"No problem. I'll leave when I need to." Petunia Assured her.

"Then let's get this over with. Firstly, I think we should say that we are relatively safe from any interruption for the next few years. From Voldemort, or from anyone trying to manipulate any of us to do their bidding."

"Like Dumbledore." Her linked said in dark tone.

'Like Dumbledore.' She agreed mentally. "Now the obvious problem to me is that Harry will go to Salem soon. And when he does, he'll be out in the public."

"Your suspecting that once Harry steps out there, news will spread wide and we'll be on the radar again." Petunia thought out loud.

"Exactly. What can we do to prevent that from happening?" She asked Alex.

"That's easy. Salem is a not any ordinary school. The people who study there range from the richest to the ones who hold national secrets. Sure, we offer a very wide range of subjects, but what we offer most importantly is privacy. Harry can easily go there and study under another name, or under teachers directly. Besides, no one will actually care here that much. We can simply address him as Harry, hide his scar and no one will notice. A change in his appearance will go a long way to concealing his presence here. Salem is also not a boarding school. The students simply floo back home. No risk getting discovered at all. For additional safety, we can avoid the wizard section here unless necessary." She replied in a sure tone.

"Not to mention the whole matter of moving here was settled by the goblins, so we have no risk of a third party knowing we live here." Harry added.

"Now another issue to address. Petunia, we have our own stuff to do. Harry going to train and study, Alex has her own job to handle. What are you gonna do?" She asked.

Petunia eyed the Anzu. "I don't know. I used to stay at home, but now we have house-elves for that. I don't think I have anything to do here."

"May I suggest something?"

"Sure."

"I remember Lily saying that you had a knack for writing. Lily loved to read them. You even published one on a paper under a pseudo-name. Why don't you try picking it up again?"

"That's a great idea! Come on Auntie, do it!" Harry spoke in an excited tone.

"Yeah, it's a good idea. Think about it." Alex said.

"I'll think about it." She agreed.

"That's done….um, Petunia, I'm sorry, but…..." Tempest stopped.

"This is where I leave." She got up and left.

Tempest used her own power to set up privacy barriers just as Petunia left. 'It's better this way. The less she knows, the less danger she faces.' She told Harry.

"Well, as I was saying." She continued with her voice. "Now another issue is Voldemort. We have all seen that he cannot be killed. Not killed exactly, we can kill him but his soul refuses to pass over. Harry here has already met him twice in Hogwarts."

"Once he possessed our defense professor. He almost managed to kill me but when he cut me with his wand, a drop of my blood spilled on him and he sort of dissolved. That was during the first year." Harry joined in.

"And the next year you faced his seventeen year old self, or an image of him. Tom Marvolo Riddle, and fought against the Basilisk of Slytherin. Do you remember how the image managed to create itself?"

"Yeah, it came from a diary Riddle owned. Malfoy senior slipped it to Ginny, and it slowly took over her. She was forced to release the basilisk, and the memory Riddle claimed he was using her life force to power himself."

"That it was. But unlike Dumbledore told you that was no ordinary dark magic. It was one of the most impressive use of soul magic, though one of the foulest. It was a horcrux."

Alex gasped ay her words. "So that's how he survived time and time after he was killed!"

Harry just looked at her confused. "What's a horcrux?"

"A horcrux is basically a part of one's soul, a fragment if you will that is torn off from the whole and magically placed in a sort of container. This acts as an anchor for the main part of the soul, preventing it from passing over once the maker is killed. Later rituals and magic can used to either possess or even create a new vessel for it. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. You see ripping one's soul apart is near impossible using normal means. But, if you do something so horrible that it shatters your own sense of morality, your soul will crack. Then it can be broken up further using magic and a horcrux can be created." Alex answered for her.

"So, in order to make one Riddle had to?" Harry asked.

"What I do not know, but it had to be something very horrible, for I'm not very confident of Riddle's sense of morality. Your mother only focused her searches on how many he created and where they could be." She answered him this time.

"How many? What do you mean how many?" Alex interrupted her. "He created multiple horcruxes?"

"He created seven to be exact. One of them was the diary."

Alex gasped but suddenly had a pensive look on her face. "Wait. I don't know much about them, but aren't horcruxes inactive objects? They can't animate themselves. And they are also very powerful objects. It's almost impossible to destroy one."

"Basilisk venom, remember?" Harry answered before she could.

"Oh."

"And you're very right. Horcruxes by definition are inactive fragments of one's soul, acting as a tether to this world." Tempest went on. "But they have other uses as well. For example, they can be activated using rituals so they become imprints or images of their maker's self when they were made. They can also be used as power reserves, once activated for this purpose, it would provide anyone using it with a vast amount of magical power as it burns up. It can be used as a way to permanently boost one's core as well. The only other use I know of them is they can be used to power very potent enchantments on an object, or in Alchemy, Transfiguration."

"However," She gave them no chance to ask questions. "Normally a horcrux is a very powerful object and well capable of defending itself from any manipulation of this kind. So, often the only option left is to destroy them. Riddle's ones are different. He somehow managed to get his hands on the basics of it's creation, but never learned the advanced levels. So his horcruxes are just trapped inactive soul fragments, guarded by the best warding or offensive magic he could attempt."

"How can you be so sure?" Alex asked her.

"Because the last horcrux he made he did unknowingly, and that was Harry."

The whole room became as silent as a cemetery. After some time Harry spoke up. "That's what you removed from my scar that night, didn't you?"

"Yes. It was draining from your core to keep itself stable. So all I had to do once you magically exhausted yourself is cut of it's power supply, making it forcefully eject from your body. A well-made one would have it's own reserves, and I shouldn't be able to remove one."

Alex let out her breath. "That's a good thing to know."

"It is. I have bad news though. Lily managed to find out how many he had created but failed to find out where he had hidden them. Now, after the war, I'd suspect he changed their locations again, with better means to guard them."

"So we just find and destroy them then?"

"No!" She reacted violently to Alex's idea. "Once destroyed, it will alert him of it's destruction. He can easily move them again, and will be more cautious. The only reason he never found about two horcruxes being destroyed is one was activated and the other he simply had no clue about."

"And I have an idea of exactly how to deal with them." Neither liked the feral grin lighting up on Harry's face. "I'll tell you about it once I make out all the details."

"Okay, so that's covered, for now. Now comes the training part. Harry's doing pretty great, according to you Alex. But not enough. He needs to be a lot better by the end of this summer if he is to be ready for what's ahead. And let me tell you, your idea of giving him potions to help accelerate his growth and power is good, but not enough. Harry needs to undergo a ritual."

"What kind of ritual?" Alex asked her, concerned.

"I'm sorry, but that's something I cannot say. I swear though that this ritual was set up by Lily for him. She felt it was going to be needed. And I think this would be the right time to do it. It will help him to grow stronger and resilient much faster. So the potions you will use on him will have the maximum effect possible. Also, it will allow him protection from any sort of poisoning, potions or probing."

"That's a good thing. But most of the time rituals of this sort have some sort of backlash or requires a sacrifice. You sure it won't cost him anything?" Alex asked her.

She gave her a pained answer. "The sacrifice is already given. Nearly fourteen years ago by a mother who wanted her son to have a chance to live."

[…]

Harry was back in his room again. Tempest was perched right next him on the edge of the bed.

'You know your mother only wanted what's best for you Harry.' She tried to soothe him. But he felt his heart being torn with grief and guilt all over again.

'Yes, and she gave up her life for that.' He thought.

'And she did it gladly, knowing you would be safe. She would gladly do it again if she had the chance.'

'I-I don't feel bad because she did it. Not anymore. I'd do it for her too, if I could. I haven't ever had the chance to know her, but I love her more than anyone or anything else.'

'That you should, Harry. You know we Anzu have a saying that our loved ones never truly die, so long as we keep them in our hearts. Let her live in yours, Harry. Celebrate her by living as she wanted you to, by holding the best things about her close.'

He smiled sadly hearing her. 'I try to. But Tempest, am I the son she wanted me to be? My father wanted me to be? I am weak and scared easily. I am not as brilliant as she was or as brave as my father was. What if I let them down? What if their sacrifice was for nothing? How do live with that?'

He heard her sigh. 'Harry I know the answers, but you won't believe me. So how about I show you something, a message from your mom.'

He looked up at her. 'Mom? But how?'

'I've told you already. She kept a lot of her memories stored in me. I can show them to you when time calls for it. She wanted you to see this tonight, and now I know why.'

"Okay. Show me." He whispered.

"Lie down on the bed and close your mind. Focus and clear your mind." She instructed.

Harry followed her instructions and as he closed his eyes, he felt a gentle breeze swirling around him, a soft tune playing far away, lulling him to sleep.

"Harry." A gentle voice called to him, so familiar yet he couldn't place it.

"Harry." The voice pressed. He slowly opened his eyes, in front of him was a woman with fiery red hair. She had gentle compassionate emerald eyes, and Harry saw her love for him in them. He felt tears staining his cheeks as he recognized his mother.

He tried to reach out to her, call her name, but he felt frozen. Desperate, he tried to reach his core and break free.

"Harry, calm down. I know this seems real, but I'm not really here sweetheart. Please just calm down and listen to me." She spoke.

As he reined himself in, she began again. "Harry, I want you to know that I love you and I'm proud of you. You should never doubt yourself. You've been through a lot honey, too much pain and suffering for a lifetime. And I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you. But I swear I did the best I can."

She stopped briefly and looked him in the eyes.

"I know how you feel now. I know cause I have seen it. I've seen you get abused by the Dursleys, I've seen you face monsters I never wanted you to face. And you fought through it all. Seeing those events made me want to just grab you and never let you go, but it also made me proud to know that even though you were scared at times, you fought back, and you won. I'm proud to call you my son, and I hope that the end of this you'll love me just as much as I do you."

"Let me tell you about how I came to know about all this. When the war started, your father was always away at his jobs, and I was pregnant at home with nothing to do. So I decided to look up Divination, a classmate of mine was a clairvoyant and she told me I had the gift. So I decided to try it out. It was boring and seemed illogical, almost to the point I decided to leave it be. So imagine my surprise when I started seeing things in my dreams."

She paused, taking a breath. "At first I thought they were just nightmares, based on my worries. I tried to use occlumency to block them, but it didn't work. Then one day, your father returned with a wide gash on his right shoulder, like I had seen."

"I-I tried to focus on them more, it worked. At one point I could see the future at will. I tried to warn many but no one, not even James and Alex believed me. I peered into the future, and I saw everything. The prophecy, your life up to now, the-the night we'd die. Since no one cared, I took action. I did everything I can Harry, even things I'm not proud of. I did it all for you."

She was tearing up now. "The day you were born, you brought a light into my world. You were this strong healthy baby with so much power. I swear the I could literally see your aura lighting up the room. But then I had to bind your core baby. I had no choice. If Dumbledore saw your power, he might try to-in fact, I foresaw he would consider it to be 'the power he knows not' and either strip it away from you or keep you under his thumb, using you to defeat Voldemort and then kill you. I really had no choice. Riddle could come earlier and try to kill you at any cost. With the way things were going, you would either lose or die, even if you won. I didn't want that. So I started to change what I can."

"After a few weeks of your birth I was stable enough to work again. When nobody was at home, I took you in my workshop. I-I performed Human Transmutation on you. I-I transfused you with Ukrainian Ironbelly, Threstral and Unicorn blood. Your skin and muscles are infused with Phoenix's ash and the Ironbelly's Heartscale. Then I unbound your core."

She was openly crying now. "H-Harry you were never weak in terms of power. You core, even now is working overtime on stabilizing your body, trying to change it's deep layers. That's why it can't provide so much power. But the-the Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears in your body have helped a lot, they were the only missing ingredients. Now that they have been in your systems fo-for some time, you've more access to your core. Tempest probably told you about the ritual. It's in my journal baby. You have to hiss 'Ritual' in Parseltongue to get it. The journal responds to Parseltongue. And no, you didn't get it from Voldemort. You already had it in the first place, where he actually had to go learn it. Please, do it sweetheart, and by your next birthday. Trust me, it'll help a lot."

"I'm sorry for what I've done baby, I really am. But I had no choice. Either way you died, if I didn't change the future. After this, if you ever can forgive me, please say it. I'll be watching from the stars."

She halted her speech, obviously trying to gather herself. A minute later, she spoke again.

"Your father was a good man. He had his faults, but he loved me and you. He would have done anything for us. In the end he did. He listened to me at the very end, and begged to help me save you. That night when he died, when we died, we both had a possibility to live, forsaking the others. Your father refused to leave us. He stood in front of Voldemort's spell, sacrificing himself as a temporary anchor for your soul. That's why you lived. I-I sacrificed myself as an offering for this ritual."

"Harry, you need to live. Live for us. Live as a man who is proud of himself. Someone who'll stand up to any oppression and darkness, live it on the edge. Love deeply and care for family. Live it to the fullest extent, and let us know we've done the best we could do. We, I love you son, I hope you feel the same."

"Few things before this ends." She was fading a bit. "Alex, she loves you more than anyone you know now. Almost as much as I do. Please let her in. Be a family. She'll never try to take my place, but love her like the mother you never had. Consider the option I left you. And for Petunia, I forgive her for all that she did to me, to mum and dad. But I'll never forgive her for what she did to you. Tell her that I have a letter awaiting her in dad's old trunk. And from now on my journal will help you learn. Whatever you find in there, take it in. No matter how dark or sinister it sounds, you might need it. And Tempest has memories of my past. Ask her for them." After a bit thinking she added. "I don't have enough time but, take care of your wand Harry. It's special. You'll find out more in my journal."

She smiled at him sadly. "This is the end. After this, I can't see your future anymore. It's all cloudy and hidden, but I see hope. You have a choice now honey, I couldn't hope for more."

Harry slowly opened his eyes. Wiping at his cheeks, he looked out the window. The night was alight with stars, one glowing brighter than others.

"I love you too mom, I love you too."

[…]

'Reducto!' He yelled in his mind as a bright huge ball of red light went straight to his target, smashing it to atoms.

He didn't even wait to turn around to his final target. Instead, he pointed his wand backwards and hissed.

}Bombarda Maxima!{ The final target simply vanished in violent explosion that left his mentor's ears ringing.

"Well done Harry. But you didn't have to do it so violently you know! Mountaintops only make it louder!" Alex complained. "My ears are still ringing!"

"How am I supposed to practice if I hold back? And bring earmuffs if it bothers you so much." He asked the question maybe the fifth time today.

Ever since he had undergone the ritual, everything around and about him had changed. He easily looked like a fifth year now, his body wasn't bulky, but his recent growth spurt had left him with an athletic, muscular build. He was very proud of the traces of six-pack he was sporting now. He was faster, stronger, with never-ending stamina and for some reason, he would heal any physical injury within minutes. He had taken to occlumency like a fish to water, and using his mother's invention, he was rushing through four to five books a day. His mother's journal helped build his spell repertoire and also with other things as well. His core had regained it's full functions, even more maybe. His spells were so powerful now that he could blast his whole house away with a reducto. So they had Tempest take them away to mountain filled areas for practice each day.

However, what he felt now was more incredible.

He could feel the life, the magic flowing around him now, even seeing it so clearly that he could sense the area around him with his eyes closed. He could lock on to any target now, everything seemed so slow once he focused. He didn't miss his glasses too much. But like Tempest had warned his magic was still violent and unstable. It flared to astronomical proportions depending on his mood. So he had to be careful.

"So Harry." Alex asked as they were packing up. "Why are you training now? Why work so hard?"

This time, he had an answer.

"Because I don't want to survive. I want to live."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6-There is a First for Everything**

 **[Excerpt from Monday's The Prophet]**

 _ **Boy-Who-Lived in Danger? So says Dumbledore…**_

 _ **By Rita Skeeter**_

 _Harry Potter, our beloved Boy-Who-Lived aged 14 this year and was supposed to be a third year student in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been removed from the public recently by his Magical Guardian. Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock and Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Who himself is well known as the defeater of the Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald. When asked, the esteemed Grand Sorcerer has commented that it was for the Boy-Who-Lived's own safety. "Harry Potter has been recently assaulted by a group led by ex-death eaters. It was only the wards placed at his house that managed protect him and alert us in time that allowed us to manage avoid what would have been a grave news for the wizard world. His safety is no longer assured at his house. That is why he has been removed from the public until we can be sure again." in his very words. When asked if this removal is temporary, as readers know our young hero lived a life in secrecy for twelve years before he started in Hogwarts, the Headmaster seemed to be reluctant to comment. However, he did announce that it may be several years before Harry Potter will be seen in the public. "Harry has potential, but I have found the education in Hogwarts is insufficient in building it. Also, the recent attack has made it important that he learn to defend himself properly. Seeing this, I have decided to teach young Harry myself. He will be under my tutelage as my apprentice until he reaches his full potential." He refused to say when that may be or what he may be teaching the Boy-Who-Lived. This all sounds well and good, however this brief encounter with the Headmaster brings up more questions than answers. It almost seems like either the Boy-Who-Lived may be in constant danger of being killed, or some hidden plot is revolving around our young hero. Which is true is for you to read and for us to find out._

 **[…]**

This was the first day at Hogwarts, and for Ginny Weasley it was already going pretty badly. In fact, she hated every second of it now. Last day when she rode on the train, she had tried to find Harry and maybe try to talk to him and apologize for not holding her idiot brother in check. She had even planned to tell everyone in the Great Hall what actually happened so that Harry may catch a break and hopefully they would start a friendship in the process. But as she clutched this morning's paper in her hands, she knew her chances to get a good friend was never there in the first place. Not only that, she had to put up with her git of a brother who just couldn't imagine her trying make up with the 'Heir of Slytherin' and a fame-loving, greedy-ass murderer.

"Good, the asshole is gone." Someone spoke out.

"Yeah." Spoke another. "Didn't wanna see that bastard's face anyway. He's the reason why we had that-that thing roaming around last year."

"It was a Basilisk, Lee. And it was under his command. I still can't think of what would've happened if I never used the mirror at that time." A feminine voice corrected in an academic tone, fear and loathing clear in her voice.

"I bet Dumbledore just made this all up so that the golden-arsed Slytherin could be removed without tainting the school's reputation." An all too familiar voice started to rant.

That was as much as she could take. "Stop it you idiots! It was me! I released the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets, Harry did not!" She announced at the top of her lungs.

The Great Hall had fallen silent as they all looked at her dumbfounded. Faces started to show expressions, she could see it all there. Fear, confusion, loathing, surprise. And she didn't like it one bit. She could now understand why Harry hated his life as he did. But she had to go on, for Harry and herself as well.

"Yes, it was me. I released the Basilisk from the Chamber." She reconfirmed.

"Ginny how many times have I told you to not stand up for that..." A voice started to interject.

"Shut your trap, Ronald! I am not defending him. He doesn't need help, unlike you pathetic lot. I am clearing up what actually happened since no one else seems to know or even care." She glared at the Headmaster who looked older and crestfallen at her statement.

"Now as I was saying, I did it. Not Harry." And then another one had to go interrupt her, much to her fury.

"Don't bother defending him, Ginny. He's not worth it. I was his best friend, and I know he speaks Parseltongue. How else could he control the Basilisk? And every night he was gone for long hours, even the one when I was attacked." Hermione Granger gave a shudder as Lee tried to soothe her girlfriend.

"Oh, great." She rolled her eyes at the statement. "So is it See-And-Know-It-All Granger now? Cause I can see thousands of lies in that stupid idea of yours." Giving no chance for others to speak, she simply glared at the Headmaster.

"Sir, it seems the students and most of the teachers do not know what happened last year. Isn't the duty of a school to teach the truth and not allow lies and misconception to spread?" She asked.

"Yes, it is. But Ms. Weasley….."

"Save it." She could tell everyone was shocked to see her shut up the great Dumbledore like that. 'Great my ass.' She thought.

"Like I said, I was the one who released the Basilisk. But I did not do so willingly. I was forced against my will." She let her comment sink in, and went on as she saw look at her with confusion and curiosity.

"At the start of this year, I found an odd book laying on the floor near an unused classroom. When I picked it up, I felt an odd sort of connection with it, like it knew me better than anyone else. It was a diary. I-I started writing in it, and it wrote back. It slowly started to take over me, to the point where I was just an observer and it was in control. It forced me to release the Basilisk from Slytherin's chamber. And I know I am no Parselmouth, but as I said, this thing knew. Then one day, it took me inside the chamber, forcing me to leave a message so all that all could see. Then it started to drain my life force and magic from me, I think. I slowly lost all attachment to my body. Then Harry came in to rescue me and had to face the Basilisk all alone."

Tearing up as she went on, she told everyone present how Harry had valiantly fought the snake. How Hedwig had died. She could see Harry getting bitten in front her eyes all over again. She never mentioned anything about Voldemort simply skipping those bits, knowing all too well that it'd all go to hell if she did.

"So as you can clearly see, it was me, all along while you blamed Harry for my deeds. I was possessed, but it was me. Harry saved this school, and what did he get? Nothing but more insult and betrayal. I bet you're happy now Granger, cause you just lost the only one who'd ever bother to stick up for you." She finished.

"All this sounds very well and good, but where's your proof? How do I or anyone here know you aren't lying?" Oh, Ginny hated that voice as much as Harry did, but this time she was prepared. She held up her wand confidently.

"I swear on my magic and my life that whatever I have previously said this morning, in the Great Hall and about the Chamber of Secrets is the truth as I have witnessed it. Let it be known so." As she finished her oath, she smirked at Malfoy.

"Lumos." The end of her wand lit up a brilliant white before she canceled it again. "Guess I was telling the truth, eh Malfoy?" She looked at Granger as well, knowing that her oath undoubtedly started those rusted gears turning in the Know-It-All's head.

"And to further my claim, headmaster, is anything I have said wrong or a lie so far?" She could see that the esteemed man was absolutely stunned to silence by her actions, and barely nodded his head.

"Well then, I guess I'll be off." She said cheerfully. Just as she neared Granger, she stopped. "Don't bother apologizing to Harry. He'd be better off without a coward and a betrayer like you. Heck, I think he probably trusts Malfoy more than you." She harshly whispered.

As she left the Great Hall, it burst into fierce whispers and gossips. Accusations and wild guesses were flying everywhere, and it bode no good to a certain man and his plans.

[…]

Harry was nervous. This was his first day at Salem, and he was sure as hell that it would go wrong at some point. After all, isn't that how his life worked? He was afraid that people would freak out when they recognized who he was, and maybe even contact the ministry. He would again be whisked away and under the old ass's thumb. But as he looked around he didn't see anyone looking at him weird or sparing him a second glance. That made him feel relieved. "Guess the changes are helping." He muttered to himself.

Harry's summer training had completely changed him, both physically and magically. His daily routine of run and dodge plus the exercises Alex had forced on him gave him a slim yet muscular build. The potions helped with too. Now he could easily pass off as a young fifth year. At Alex's request he had kept his his long this summer, and colored it blue at the edges. This gave him a rebel like look that he though helped cover both his scar and personality. He did not need glasses anymore, and those emerald eyes were in clear view. Unknown to him, his physique made him quite the eye candy for the girls.

"Hey there!" A cheerful feminine voice woke him up from his thoughts.

"Huh?" Harry stammered out as he noticed a pair of crystal blue eyes looking at him.

"Well, aren't you supposed to say hi? It's not polite to stay quiet like that you know." Harry still kept his mouth shut. He had no idea what to say.

The girl looked him over. Harry panicked, hoping that she had not found out his identity. Her eyes finally rested on his chest, and she cutely tilted her head.

"Forth year, huh? Me too. But I haven't seen you before." She observed from the badge on his chest.

"I'm new here." Harry replied, having finally found his voice.

"So a transfer student? Where are you from? Australia? You look like it." She rapid fired.

"Not really, no." Harry shook his head. "I was….home schooled."

"Oh. Welcome to Salem, then! Name's Ellanor Brookllyn. Or you can call me Ellie."

"Oh, I'm Ajax. Nice to meet you" Harry replied, mentally cursing himself for stammering it out.

The girl just gave him a stare. Harry cursed himself again, knowing that she wasn't fooled.

"Ajax, eh? Well, if you say so. Excited to be here?"

"More like scared shitless." Harry snorted.

"Why?" She looked very interested now.

Harry wanted to blast himself for slipping up continuously, but he had a lie to tell. He pretended to look a bit defensive about it.

"Umm, let's just say that I have to live up to high expectations. Like, astronomically high expectations." He finished, hoping that the half-truth had worked.

The girl frowned, and it seemed like she was about to question him again. Thankfully the bell rang at that exact moment, indicating that their first class was minutes from starting.

"Let's go. Don't want to miss our class, do we?" She grabbed his hand.

'Come on! Why oh why can I not get a break?' He groaned as he was being dragged away.

[…]

Harry sighed. His classes for today so far were satisfactory and fun. He had Potions, Arithmancy and Transfiguration. The curriculum and system was very different from that of Hogwarts. Apparently the school stressed on the practical side of the subjects. He learned from Ellie that the year exams were more practical than theory, if there was any theory at all. A student was encouraged to research independently. And yes, no Snape here. There was also another major difference. There were two teachers for each subject, at least. One was the course tutor, who basically planned and ran the whole thing, while the other or others taught. The teachers were really tough on them, but were easily approachable and quite understanding as well. Of course, that didn't mean that Harry was very excited about the next class. In fact, he was starting ponder if he could just go home early.

"Come on, Ace! We better hurry or we'll miss the first seats!" Ellie pulled him as he grimaced. He never wanted to make an impression, but it seemed that no matter whatever he did his teachers couldn't help being impressed. Hence the nickname.

"Let him go, Ellanor! Can't you see that it is bugging him out?" Admonished the girl on his left.

"Oh, bugger off Victoria. Unlike you Ace here isn't so snooty and high-nosed."

"I am not! You are the one who is always invading people's personal space!" Victoria Grace, his new friend fired back.

"Whatever, let's just go to class. Or do you wanna miss the best one of this day?" Ellie smirked. Harry knew that Victoria would rather strip herself in public than miss a class. From the girl's sudden determined look, he knew that he was right.

'Here we go again' He sighed.

[…]

The skinny black dog was panting heavily as ran down the village road. It looked around trying to see if there was any threat nearby. Finding the area cleared, it silently headed into the infamous haunted house called the Shrieking Shack. There, it suddenly transformed into the hunched form of a man.

Sirius Black maybe many things, but he was not one to forgive. The Black blood flowing in his veins screamed for revenge. He was in Hogsmeade, hunted by all the Dementors the ministry had. He had not eaten for days. Yet his mind refused to give up the chance to kill Peter Pettigrew.

"That bastard." He muttered darkly.

Because of that rat, he had lost decades of his life in a prison. Because of that traitor, his attempt to seduce Lily had come out in the open. He kept Lily quiet about it by asking forgiveness. But because of Peter, he lost his friend's trust, his dream girl and years of his life. He could not let it go.

In Azkaban, just two weeks ago a guard had used his paper to beat his face 'into shape', as usual. After the guard left, he had picked it up to see how the world was revolving. Imagine his surprise when he discover his 'favorite' rat animagus on the front page, held by a Weasley brat. After that, the only thing he had in his mind was revenge.

He remembered the paper heading of today. "I'm sorry J, but I need to kill that rat. He is your pathetic son after all, so he'll be okay." He said as he started to head for the secret tunnel to Hogwarts.

[…]

Everyone had arrived, whispering and gossiping among themselves about how excited they were for this class. Just as said, Harry's friends sat on the fronts bench, forcing him to seat there as well.

"Why do you want to sit in the back Harry? This class is special!"

"I know." Harry said, exasperated. He just had to go and muck it up by saying his name was Harry. His new friends were nothing but persistent though. "I just have a feeling that sitting in the front is kinda life-threatening for me."

"Huh?" Both girls asked him, puzzled at his behavior.

"Never mind." He said, as he looked around. The classroom for the Combat Magic course was different from the other classes. Instead of a desk for the teacher to sit on, there was a huge dueling area in front of them. He got up and sighed, knowing full well what was to come.

Just as he walked in the area wards, he felt a spell aimed at his back. He dived.

"Reducto Maxima!"

All chatter ceased as the students watched their headmistress appear out of nowhere, throw a blasting curse of unbelievable power at the new student's back, and as the student simply dived the other way without even looking. They continued to watch in awe as they exchanged spell after spell.

"Bombarda Maxima!" Harry yelled, mentally rolling his eyes. Like they needed to yell out what they were throwing.

"Fianto Duri!" Alex intoned, bringing up her tweaked version of the impressive massive barrier of protection, stopping his spellfire completely. Harry knew that without overpowering his spells he could not break it. That could probably blow the wards.

Alex seemed to have thought along the same line as she dropped her shield and began attacking again. Blasting hexes, Flame spells, Steel Spikes, Blood-boiling curses, and her favorite, the Lightning Storm. It could fry anything in it's path to a crisp in a second. Nothing serious.

He was also firing back with equal measures. But as the fight went on, Harry simply grew bored of the fight. After all, yelling out spells and Protogo Maximas were so childish.

He held up his wand and silently hissed. _}_ _Scutum.{_

The light blue dome flared to life, literally giving off waves of magic. As she kept attacking him, the dome kept glowing brighter and brighter, absorbing each and every spell.

After a minute, he pointed his wand down, the dome around him condensed into a round blue sphere.

He hissed again. _}Release!{_

The sphere flared as it hurtled towards Alex. She silently built up a blackish shield just in time as it slammed on it hard, breaking it on impact, staggering her. She simply glared at him, then turned to the class. "All right, what you just saw today was a demonstra…."

Harry simply tuned her out as she was speaking nothing new. However, the evil woman would not have it.

"Daemon, are you ignoring me?"

"No." He deadpanned.

"Well, just because I used you for the demonstration and you are my godson, does not mean that you can slack off. Everyone, I want you to read over the first chapter before the next class. And Mr. Slacker here." She glared at him. "You will be bringing a paper on the chapter. Best be at least twenty pages. Or else…."

He nodded sourly. How could she? Didn't she know that he hated reviewing the kid stuff?

As he walked out of the class, ignoring his excited friends' questions and squeals of awe, he felt a shiver run down his spine. He looked around as he felt a surge of magic, much more different than any other he had ever sensed before. It was literally a fountain of power, yet it was so….calm. His eyes finally found their target, as he turned the corner. His heartbeat stopped as he spotted an ethereally beautiful girl, who's very presence spoke of power and grace at the same time.

"Wow." He breathed.

 **A.N. Sorry for the delay again. But as I said, I am hardly able to find the time to write, so I will probably be posting as late in the near future. And oh, please review. If you have anything to say, negative or positive, or suggestions, go ahead. However, kindly keep in mind that this is my story, and I have my own ideas about how this story should progress.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- Broken

He was running. Desperate, the Dementors hot on his heels.

Yet he felt satisfied, at peace. If the life of Sirius Orion Black ended today, he would not complain the least bit.

Just half an hour ago, he was in the Gryffindor dorms, his prey unaware of his presence. He had stealthily grabbed the rodent in his muzzle, ready to escape. Pettigrew had attempted to transform back but he sunk his teeth in, not allowing it. The damned rat couldn't stay quiet however, and it's squeaks managed to wake up it's 'owner'.

The redhead ran in front of the exit and blocked it. He whipped out his wand pointed it at him. He felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Damned dog! You hurt my Scabbers! Take this, Reducto!"

How a mere third year boy managed to cast a spell that powerful Sirius would never know, but as it flew towards him, he dodged to the left. The floor behind him exploded and a heavy piece of stone hit his right foreleg. He whined as he fell, almost letting go of Peter. Instead he clamped down harder and felt the taste of blood on his tongue.

He feared for his life. Luck was on his side however, as when he finally managed to pull himself up, he saw the boy slumped on the floor. The blood on his forehead meant he got hit by the rabble as well. Seeing his chance, Sirius quickly dropped Pettigrew on the floor, transformed back and took the boy's wand. He pointed it at the panicked rat.

"Forma Reverti!"

The spell forced the transformation slowly. He could tell that the traitor was fighting back, but he put more power behind the spell. The paws became hands, the missing pinkie was there again, then came the face. The face of the man who took away his friend. His crush. The traitor who took away a decade of his life.

"Hello Peter." He said to the cowering and whimpering man.

"Sirius, please. You know I had to do it. The Dark Lord would have..."

"Silencio!"

He looked hard. Any traces of the friend he had once known was gone, replaced with that of a traitor he wished he had never known. Even the man's profile had become ratlike, caused by staying in his animagus form for so long. 'I am not the same forgiving man I was either.' He thought as he pointed his wand again.

"Crucio!"

Peter writhed in agony, the wounds he had gained in his rat form bleeding out even more as he convulsed on the floor.

"Would your lord have done this? Were you afraid of the tourture and pain he would cause? Peter, Peter, Peter. Have you ever wondered that if you betary me I could do worse? After all, I am a Black, right? You see, I..."

He could not finish his rage filled speech as his sensetive ears picked up the sound of footsteps heading his way. He looked around helplessly, not willing to let Pettigrew go yet. The glint from a glass vial caught his eyes, and a plan started to form in his mind.

He calmed himself down somewhat and pointed the wand at him again.

"Legilimens!"

He invaded the rat's now defenseless mind, and searched for the memories of his betrayal. The meetings with the Dark Lord, the event in Godric's Hollow, how he had framed him. Sirius forced these out of his mind and pointed at the memory vial in the corner. It glowed a dull white as it contained the rat's memories. He then pointed the wand at the traitor fo the final time.

"Goodbye Peter. Avada Kedavara!"

The sick green colored curse struck the wide-eyed man's chest as Sirius pointed his wand at the redhead. A quick memory charm cleared the brat's memory of anything that could connect him to his animagus form. The footsteps got louder. He summoned the vial fast and placed it on the dead body, then snapped the wand. He transformed into his canine form just in tiem as a form of man and hid himself away in a dark corner.

The man who had walked in found a student unconscious near a big crater, beside the dead body of a 'war hero' who was known to be dead since the last decade. He nver took notice of the black grim that limped away in silence. Sirius's work was done.

[...]

"Just looking at a girl like that will not win you any points, you know?" A melodic voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Was all he could manage to get out when he saw a pair of beautiful luminecsent red eyes look at his green ones. He looked at her. Heart shaped face, thin pink lips. Her hair was white blonde with dark roots and long, easily cascading past her hips. Merlin, she was beautiful.

"Now could you you please tell me why have you been leering at me for like, a week?" The sweetness in her voice was intoxicating, and Harry felt his mouth dry out. If it was possible, she appeared even more beautiful. He felt the walls in his mind break down.

"No."

His quiet answer startled himself into action, and as he noticed, so was she. He swiftly let out the tip of the Elder out of his right sleeve and stealthily aimed it at her. Ellie took notice of this and put her hand over his arm.

"Stop."

Harry looked at her, eyes blazing in fury. If they had something to do with this, then there would be hell to pay. Seeing his state, Victoria hastened to explain.

"Um, Ace look. You've been staring at her since day one. Like all the time. Not everyone notices but we did. Especially her. We thought you had a crush on her or something. So why not pull parnk on you and get you to admit it and embarrass you a little but at the same time? So we thought maybe..."

"She tried to control me!" Harry seethed at her.

"No she didn't." Victoria retorted.

"Actually, I kind of did." The calm french accented voice stopped them both.

Harry looked back at the girl. Sensing he had somewhat calmed down and was waiting for an explanation, she continued.

"It was my Veela charm."

"Veela?" Harry questioned.

All three looked at him like he was an idiot. "Say Ace, have you read our book on magical beings, like at all?"

"Of coruse I did." Harry lied.

"Sure. Mind if I ask you a question? What are Sirens?" Ellie asked.

"Um, you know, some muggle noise making thing?" Harry was really getting confused now, his rage totally forgotten.

His friends looked at him, open mouthed. Till Victoria managed to choke out. "You didn't even read the first page yet!"

"Well, I did look at the cover. Even that takes a lot of effort, I'll have you know. But what does that have to do with this?" He asked.

This time Victoria just facepalmed while Ellie complained. "Harry, we have a quiz tomorrow! And you're saying that you didn't even open it yet?"

"It's useless." Harry defended himself. "Come on, girls. Can any of you please explain why our Magical Beings from Mysterious Lands is suddenly so relevant?"

"It is relevant because if you had read the first chapter at least, then you would have had a clue about what a Veela is." The girl answered, annoyed. "Since you obviously have ignored it, let me enlighten you. A Veela is a magical entity who is assciated with fire, desire, love, lust and sometimes power. A Veela has many unique characteristics. Such as being ethereally beautiful, having thrice the physical strength of an average human being, natural mastery over fire-based magic and so on. A Veela also has the abilty to throw out a sort of allure that focuses on a person's desire and make them weaker willed. A sort of compulsion, if you will. Being a Veela, I can direct this allure on someone and coerce them to do what I want."

"And you tried you break my mind with it." Harry was starting to get angry again.

"Whoa, hold your horses Ace. She did nothing of that sort. She was getting annoyed at the way keep looking at her. And we told her to do it. All we wanted was to get you to admit you like her, nothing else." Victoria tried to calm him.

Harry glared at them. "Then let's clear it up, shall we. I can sense others magical signatures and core strengths. Both her magical signature and core are unique, nothing I've ever seen before. So I simply looked at her so that I could examine it." He then turned to the girl. "I'm sorry for staring at you like that. Though I had no bad intentions, it was still very rude of me to stare. Forgive me."

The girl looked at him with squinted eyes, as if examining him. Finally she held out a hand.

"Name's Caoimhe Archange. Fifth year, nice to meet you."

"Aj-" His friends glared at him. "Harry." He shook her hand.

"Well, Harry. I have to go. I will see you guys later." She shook her head, probably at the stupidity of it all and walked away.

Just as she rounded the corner, Harry turned on his friends and hissed. "Explain!"

Both girls put their hands up in a conciliatory manner. "Harry calm down and listen to us, please." Victoria requested.

Harry crossed his arms and nodded his head to her to go on.

"Harry, we didn't know about your sensing magical signature thing. So when you looked at her, we thought that you might like her. She noticed as well. We kinda know her, so we went to her and planned that she would use her allure on you and force you to admit, you know. Thought it would be fun and maybe she'd become good friends in the process, giving you better shot when you actually try. Instead, well..."

"We fucked up big time." Ellie helpfully summed up for her. 

"Ell!" Victoria complained. "Language!"

"Whatever." Ellie rolled her eyes. "Harry it was all in good fun. We are sorry that we fuc-I mean messed up, but we didn't mean it. So we are sorry." She winked and made a very funny attempt to strike a seductive pose. "Or do you wanna spank us as punishment?"

"Girls and their logic." Harry rolled his eyes. "Apology accepted. Just don't ever pull one on me again. It tends to have bad consequences."

"Okay." Both girls agreed happily. Then the bell rang. "Hey, we gotta run. Potions, remember?"

"Let's go." Harry started walking.

"Hey Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You like her don't you?"

"Ellie?"

"Yes?"

"Do shut up."

[…]

"Good day and welcome to the first class of Spellcraft. I am Joanna Wills, and I will be your teacher for this course. Since this is your first time with this subject, this course will focus mainly on the basics. Such as the theory behind the creation and understanding of a spell." Her words brought forth groans from everyone, even Victoria who looked like she had just eaten something sour.

"I know you are used to practical applications of a subject but unfortunately this subject requires a solid base on the theory first. If you are not an expert on how a spell works or it can be crafted I fear you may produce no results at all, or in worse cases, disasters. So, you will just have to bear with me. Please pay attention."

Once the class had quieted down, she began. "Right. So as we all know by now, to cast magic, one of course has to be a wizard and has to have a wand in his possession. But that is not all. He also must know a spell that will allow him to achieve his objective. So can someone tell me what are the basic things to know about casting a spell?"

"The caster must know the spell's objective, the incantation and the wand movement." Ellie answered.

"Correct. As time passes the wand movement can be replaced with experience. However, the other two parts of casting will always be mandatory. But you will learn more about this from your other teachers. We are here today to teach you how to create a new spell." She paused.

"The process of crafting a spell is very tedious and taxing to the mind. It requires deeper understanding of what you want from a spell, the knowledge of all spells, their functions and so on. It is mostly theory but I assure you it is like playing chess. It will give your mind a thorough beating before you reach the solution. Seen that way, it can be fun. So, how to create a spell? Simply put, first you must figure out exactly what you want from your spell and how do you want it to work. There are many spells for levitation, but each achieve their objective differently. Then you must research and find the most suited incantation for the spell, one that you feel is most appropriate. This requires knowledge of magical languages, which you will learn in this subject much later. You may have many choices here, and you must try them all. To do so, you have to meditate and gain a deeper understanding of your core, then use the incantations to see if the spell provokes your desired reaction from your core. If any works, then you have your spell. Or at least a skeleton of one to build on. If not, then back to the start. Once you have successfully created a new spell, you may use proper methods to bind the magic of that spell to a unique wand movement. That way, you allow others to cast the spell as well, without the knowledge and understanding you have. For yourself the movement is not necessary, since you already have tasted the wave of magic it comes from. Any questions? Yes?" She pointed at Harry, who had raised his hand.

"No offense, but I find this method to to be totally useless."

His comment drew many whispers and loud disagreements, but Harry paid them no mind.

"Would you care to explain why?" The teacher asked, her eyebrow raised.

"Well, firstly what is a spell? It is not a mandatory part of magic. Neither is a wand. The one and only thing a wizard needs to cast a spell is his core. The wand is but a focus to draw out the magic. A spell is nothing more than a way to tell your core what to do. Think about it. As babies you have all performed accidental magic, right? So do you think you uttered a spell back then? Nope. Did you have a wand? Probably not. Was the magic you performed something that can be replicated with spells? Perhaps, but like our teacher has said, there are many spells for levitation, but each reach the goal in different ways. What you may have done back then might have accomplished a simple thing, but how you did so could be unique. So what really matters? The surge you feel from your core each and every time you cast a spell. If you focus and reach out to your core then you can produce the same effects as a spell, without a wand or the incantation. So my opinion in creating a spell is, one must first know his demand or objective, then reach in to his core and try to produce the result he wants. Then you may find any incantation you like. Same with the wand movements. Because if the incantation or wand movement was so important then one could say Reducto and with the proper wand movement produce the perfect effect from the very first time. Forget yelling words at the top of your lungs people, and focus on your core."

As Harry finished, he noticed the class had gone silent. Professor Wills stared at him for another moment and started a gentle clapping. The whole class joined in a moment later.

[…]

"Was I wrong?" She asked herself.

Hermione Granger was sitting upright on her bed with her wand dimly lit. She had an advanced potions book in her hands, already halfway read through. She could focus no more, as her mind was trailing away to the thoughts of her ex-best friend.

Harry Potter.

If she was to be honest with herself, then Harry Potter was an enigma to her. Sure she had read all about his life history, even the outrageous story of his defeating a dragon to celebrate his eighth birthday. But it was all a lie, wasn't it? Instead of a buffed up and powerful prince like she expected, the Harry Potter she found was a frail child, who looked every bit like he had a bad life.

But that never made him weak. Harry never showed weakness. He was weak magically it seemed, but that never stopped him. He went on become the youngest seeker ever, and he was damned good at it. He always seemed like he was not so intelligent, but his mind was surprisingly sharp and practical, unlike hers. What he could not solve with magic, he solved with his cunning and bravery. And she knew he read books like they were air to breathe, just never in public. And he was selfless. He risked his life to save hers and Ginny's.

All in all, Harry was the best person to count on in times of trouble. He was a great boy and friend too. He could cheer her up like no other. She even had begun to suspect she might have crushed a bit on him.

"So why did I think he was behind the Basilisk?" She asked herself.

One fault of Harry's, if she could even call it a fault, was that he brooded. A lot. There was enough reason for it, but it separated him from others. She could barely remember any details he had told her about his life, where she had opened up about everything. So whenever he felt bad, he'd just disappear. She just gave up trying to find him at those times. This time it was different.

Harry could speak Parseltongue. That was her first clue. His increase in disappearance, lack of sleep, being more secretive had started to make her feel a bit uneasy. Then came the "Heir of Slytherin". She tried to weather it, but it was becoming a bit too much. So she started avoiding contact with him. But he was still her friend. She kept faith.

Until she became petrified.

It hit her like a tidal wave. It was the fear. She was too scared to think clearly. And it was encouraged by the way the rest of the school acted. Maybe she had judged Harry wrong and he was really evil, she had thought.

She felt tears cloud her vision. Ginny's voice rang on her ears. "Harry is no Mr. Perfect, but he is a friend who can be relied on. No matter what, he would always come forward and go beyond his limits to save a friend. I believe in him, absolutely. And I will believe in him forever."

"Sorry won't cover this, will it Harry?" She choked out through her cries.

A muffled boom came from the boys' dorm.

[…]

"Way to go Ace. You just had to go and take away our last chance at glory." Ellie joked.

"Hey, I just said what I used to make a new spell, nothing more." Harry replied, a little thoughtful.

"You created a new spell?" Both girls asked in unison, completely halting.

"Sure." Harry said, still immersed in his thoughts, he walked away to class. The girls gaped at his casual reply, and then shook their heads. It was like him to do something awesome and not brag.

"Hey Ellie?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you keep calling me Harry? I know I slipped up in front of you guys, but I don't others to know who I am. Not even my first name."

"Harry. Let me make this clear to you." Ellie stopped and looked at his eyes. "You're a lousy liar."

"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.

"Ajax, really? That's a minor Greek god's name. And not one I'd use to name a child. Plus, you do not even respond to that name. Only when we call you Harry or Ace do you respond. We've tried, trust me. So don't you think that you're laying it on a bit too thick?" She asked.

"Plus, the best lie told is one that has a bit of truth in it. Just say you're Harry and the godson of our Headmistress. Trust me, no one will go snooping around after that." Victoria joined in.

"Alright." Harry conceded. "You have a point."

"Besides," Ellie gave him a mischievous smirk. "You don't think we don't know who you are? Well, we've seen that scar of yours. You hide it well, but it just slips away sometimes." Harry gaped at her. "Don't worry, we won't tell. Let's go, we are getting late." She walked away, Victoria giggling behind her.

[…]

Albus Dumbledore rubbed his temple in frustration. His weapon against Voldemort missing, his funding gone, his support diminishing. And now Sirius Black had to turn up.

Just half an hour ago, a few portraits alerted him that there had been an incident at the Gryffindor boys' dorm. Then Professor Lupin rushed in, pale as a ghost. He had managed to get the man to calm down, but the story he was told unnerved him a bit as well. Apparently Sirius Black had just walked in there, grabbed Ronald Weasley's pet rat, who happened to be Pettigrew in his animagus form, and murdered him in cold blood. The Professor also had a memory vial with him, something he found over the man's dead body.

The memory held damning proof that Pettigrew was the one who turned traitor. After seeing this new evidence, he knew for certain that his suspicions were correct. Sirius Black was innocent.

But he could not allow this to go on. Sirius Black couldn't be allowed freedom. He would lose the last bit of bargaining chip that he held over Harry. So he immediately locked away the memories of the distraught Professor and him on his way. He had already discreetly ordered house elves to clean mess up and place Pettigrew's dead body in the Chamber of Secrets. He would preserve the dead body as a backup.

"But I can't let an innocent man be on the run either." He thought. But what could be done to help? He thought and thought, his brows furrowed. Then an idea hit upon him.

"I will send him to America. There the wizarding community is not so harsh, and cares little about what a man's identity is. I can wipe out all traces and memories of how he reached there. He'll be safe there, so long as he does not try to come here."

And he could easily say that the Ronald boy had tried to practice a spell and it backfired. It looked Black had already removed any memory of being there, and he did a clean job. He'd keep it that way.

"Nothing can be allowed to go wrong." He told himself.

Unfortunately, just as he got up to store the memory vial in his hand, he dropped it. The vial smashed to bits, the silvery contents of it oozing away. And it all faded away.

"Oops."

[…]

Harry felt wary. His last class of the day was Combat Magic. But this time, the other course tutor Professor Fredrick was going to take it. Since this was his first class for both fourth and fifth year, he decided it would be best if he took both together. Alex had given him a warning to keep his head down though. Because according to her, he liked to pick out the best ones in class and give them a thorough beat-down to show them where they were in the food chain. And he had already made a name for himself.

As he entered the class, he felt that all too familiar wave of magic wash over him. Her again. Harry looked at the side where the fifth years stood. She did not have her 'allure' on, but in his eyes he still looked beautiful. Her eyes fell upon him. He gave her a nod then looked away.

"Alright class!" Boomed the jolly voice of the Professor as he entered. "Today is the demonstration class, and I'm supposed give you guys an overview of what we are to do in this course. Of course, I'm pretty sure that our Headmistress has already done a marvelous job of that. She is better at it than I am anyways. But, since this demonstration, we will not jump into lessons. Instead, I think it would be splendid idea to pair some of you guys up and see you duel each other. That way you get to show me what you have learned so far. So why don't you and…..you over there, start the first one?" He pointed at two students, who shrugged and then walked up to the dueling arena.

For the next forty-five minutes, Harry watched as the Professor paired up two students and let them have a go in the dueling area. He would criticize them and appraise them afterward, and summon up a new group. Harry let out a breath. Only fifteen minutes left. Maybe he would make it after all.

Professor Fredrick clapped loudly to garner everyone's attention. "Students, it's been very….awesome to witness you duel. There were mistakes, but obviously you are at a very high level for your age. I am proud of you all. But before we go, shouldn't we close this class with a bang?" Everybody yelled yes in excitement.

"So then, I have decided that I will fight with one of you're most promising ones to show you what I really intend to teach here. So, how about….." He tapped his chin, looking at the students. After a few seconds, his eyes lit up as he looked at Harry.

"You, over there. Harry was your name, right?"

'Damn.' Harry thought as he walked over top him. Professor Fredrick slapped him on the shoulder and said. "Well, I have to say I have heard your name quite a few times by now. I heard you even held your own against the Headmistress." Harry said nothing, waiting for the main event.

"Anyways, let's move on to the main event. Harry and I will have a fight to finish this class. Now, let's get on with it, shall we?" He went on to the duel arena, with Harry behind him cursing his luck.

Harry faced the man and studied him closely. He looked as if he had something planned in mind. The smug look on his face was a big warning sign. He sighed inward, wanting nothing more than to get it over with.

He got his confirmation as soon as he bowed. Just as he dipped his head.

"Praefringo Ossa!"

The bone breaker curse caught his left arm and shattered it to pieces. Harry gritted his teeth, but made no sound.

"This is the first thing you remember in a fight. There are no rules, no formalities. I could have thrown an= killing curse for all you know..argh!" He yelled as Harry's own silent bone breaking curse hit his left arm.

"Arm for an arm" Said Harry as he threw a reducto aimed at his opponent's feet. He dodged at the last second.

What followed was a fight that no one would ever forget. If Professor Fredrick attacked, Harry dodged or shielded. Harry would strike back immediately, and the Professor would shield or duck. The barrage of spells often canceled out each other as they met head on. The curses were silent and in Harry's case, there was no wand movement.

Bone Breakers, Burners, Ice Spikes, Electric Shocks, Bombarding Curse, Harry was throwing it all. Yet he was careful not to use his full potential. His opponent on the other hand was profusely sweating. He seemed to be very tired. He was holding a very impressive Aegis Fortis shield that stopped Harry's previous barrage. However, as he shielded himself against the man's, he heard a word he would hate forever.

"Crucio."

The curse hit him square on the chest, burning his nerve endings with pain. He fell to the floor on his knees in agony like a dead weight. He could barely retain his senses. He heard the man walk towards him.

"Get up."

Harry grit his teeth and gave no answer.

"Get up. Or did your mom raise you to be a chicken?" He taunted.

Every nerve on Harry's body felt like they were set on fire all over again. But this time, it was in rage.

Not thinking straight anymore, Harry apparated. He arrived in front of the man, delivering a solid roundhouse to his stomach. He apparated again, and this time behind. He punched the man's back with all the strength he had, his injury forgotten. He heard the sweet sickening crunch of bones from his back as he apparated once more in front of him. Lightning started to swirl around his skin as it sparked and cackled. Harry lashed out with all his might, this time he aimed for the wand hand.

The man screamed and writhed in agony, but Harry kept on. His rage for insulting his mother never let him to stop. Then he heard a lightning going off in a close distance.

The world went black.

 _ **A.N.** Alright, I want to mention three things here._

 _1\. My updates are going to be super slow. Sorry, but It always feels like I'm playing hide and seek with my life and every five minute break I take I either spend on thinking or writing. And I also have a bad habit of erasing the entire thing and starting all over again. So, sorry again but I really can't help it._

 _2\. Some things in this story were mentioned but never explained. That is because I have not yet written any situations to use and explain a bit. However the little 'gaps' are gonna start filling up from this chapter. And in the case that you did not get why Dumbledore mentions Harry was raised by his aunt alone(in chapter 4 maybe) that is because of Harry's curse in chapter 2. Unless Harry shares this story, no one will remember._

 _3\. As I have said before any comments, suggestions are welcome. Be it negative or positive, help me out by letting me know your thoughts about this story._

 _ **Enjoy!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Food for Thought

 _ **A.N.**_ **Not really satisfied with this chapter. But I felt that this chapter should be out there as soon as possible. I read the reviews and felt that I had left a few things unexplained that might confuse the readers. So here it is. Enjoy. If not, let me know.**

"Harry, are you awake?" A soft voice asked.

He felt dizzy. His whole body burned. His head felt like it was made of lead. He was having trouble breathing. He tried to open his eyes, but he felt nausea take over. He leaned over to his right and vomited.

"Scourgify." Alex cleaned away the mess as he finished.

"Harry? Are you alright?" The voice pressed again, desperate.

"Petunia, you can smother him with love later. Harry needs his rest. Leave him be." Alex warned her.

Harry felt himself slipping away. But even then his mind shook at the idea of such a kind voice belonging to his aunt. He blocked everything out as the pain hit him again, going back to sleep.

[…]

"Hey baby, I finally got some time off. Wanna spent it together?" She hated that voice now.

"Sorry, Lee but I have things to do. Besides, I still have classes." Hermione answered.

"Well, we both have a free hour now. And cut back on the study a bit, will ya? Ron says at this rate you might even grow some covers and fit right in the restricted section." His lame jokes were really starting to grate on her nerves.

'I have to finish this.' She realized.

"Lee, can we talk?" She asked him.

"Sure." He answered quickly. 'Of course he'd want to talk. I've been avoiding him for a week.' She thought.

"Not here, somewhere private." She was trying not make a scene.

Lee looked like he had won a million galleons. Until he saw her expression. His smile disappeared, a scowl taking it's place.

"I think it's best if we 'talk' here." He responded icily.

She saw no way out. So she decided to face it like a Gryffindor. 'Yeah, real show of courage there.' A voice in her mocked. She quashed it, knowing she'd need her all to carry it out.

"I'm sorry Lee, but.." She couldn't finish her sentence.

Everybody in the hallway turned their heads at the loud slapping noise. Lee had slapped her hard, and her little frame fell to the floor.

"I'm sorry, but what? You gonna break up with me now? After all the time of taking advantage of me, now you walk out? Bitch!" He spat at her, but in his rage he missed.

"I brought you out of your shell. I was the one who showed you not to be a high-nosed know-it-all bitch and how to enjoy a good snog. I gave you the taste of a real man. I…."

Her right cheek stung and her back ached with pain. But she still could not help but gape at his rant. The taste of a real man?

"And tonight I thought I was finally gonna give you a taste of what a real man feels like. I thought you had earned it. But nooo, you had to go and break up with me. What? Does nothing but books do it for you anymore? Do you like, read a page and cum over it?"

She knew it would be messy, but she never expected this. Her eyes started to water as his rant continued.

"You really are pathetic aren't you? Ron was right, you belong to the restricted section. In fact I think even the books will come to life and refuse you one o' these days." She was openly crying now.

"Crying are we?" Lee mocked. "Well, wait till you feel this." He moved closer to her and put up his right foot.

Her eyes widened with fear. But before Lee could do anything, three spells slammed on him.

"Locomotor Wibbly!"

"Fistuco!"

"Nasum Vespertiliones!"

Lee flew backwards at the force of the attack. Hermoine watched in slow-motion as Alicia's Jelly-legs curse hit him first, making him lose his balance. Angelina's Ramming curse hit him next, hurling him backwards. And just before the impact, Ginny fired off her famous Bat-bogey hex at him, making his nose drip something very close to bat...well, shit.

"Are you all right?" The girls asked in unison as they rushed to her side.

"Did the git hit you?" Katie had turned up from nowhere as well.

Hermoine didn't speak. When she looked up, the angry red slap mark on her cheek was all too obvious.

"Why that little bastard, I'll..." Katie got up, her wand sparking with her fury.

"Katie, don't." Alicia spoke. "Herms here needs us more. Hey, Angie could you inform Professor Mcgonagall? We'll be taking Herms up to the dorms."

"No need, Mrs. Spinnet. Mr. Filch has already informed me." Mcgonagall's voice broke upon them. When they looked at her, they shivered. She did not look pleased.

"Girls, could you please take Mrs. Granger to her room?" Her eyes softened a moment before they gained their stony glare again. "And I will deal with Mr. Jordan here."

[...]

Harry felt himself wake up again. However, unlike last time, the pain was not so obvious. He still didn't feel like opening his eyes, but now he could extend his senses outside. He still felt weakened, but his senses worked fine enough to let him know that Tempest was perched on the bed's headboard.

"You're awake." She said with a soft, soothing trill.

Harry tried to speak, but his mouth felt dry. So he simply nodded his head, or tried to.

"Wait. You're still not strong enough. Let me." She flew over and hovered over his chest. Suddenly Harry was enveloped in a cool, stormy embrace. He felt like he had been lifted to the heavens, his weight gone. Magic rushed through his veins, invigorating him. His pain was gone, his mouth no longer felt dry. Then the sensation was gone. He did not feel completely fine, but he felt okay enough to get up. So he got up and looked at her.

"Thank you." He said. He felt as if she was giving him a sad smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't do it before. I was...occupied. And you had to heal on your own first." She replied.

Harry gave her a curious look. She explained calmly. "Harry, about what happened in the Combat Magic class..."

That's as far she got before Harry got up in rage. He remembered the incident with Professor Fredrick. He felt like killing the man. He was so focused on his rage, he failed to notice his magic violently picking up with his mood.

'Harry, calm down.' Her voice sounded in his mind.

'No!' He sounded back. How can she tell him to calm down? In fact, how can a Professor pull a Cruciatus on student?

"Harry, calm down. At this rate you'll destroy your room, and become exhausted." She softly told him.

He stopped and looked around. He was in his room in Breezehome. He frowned, trying to remember when he was brought here.

"Harry, please sit down." Tempest patted a spot next to her with her wing. "I have a lot to tell you, and it will take time and thought."

Harry still felt like he should go out and kill the man in cold blood, but something in Tempest's voice made his anger evaporate. He sat down next to her and she reached out with her wing, it was long enough to cover him in a breezy embrace.

"Harry, the fight you had. Well, that fight never happened."

'What?' Harry yelled over their link and Tempest flinched away from him. Seeing her reaction, her calmed down instantly. "Sorry. Please tell me what happened." He spoke softly.

"Harry, Professor Fredrick is a master Illusionist." She was interrupted.

"Illusionist?"

"Yes Harry, Illusionist. You may have heard the term from common world before. In both magical and common, it means a person who is an expert at creating Illusions. When you fought him, he in reality had cast a spell on you that would force you to hallucinate. To create an illusion that forced you to believe that you were actually fighting him."

"The pain I felt was no illusion." Harry argued.

"Yes, and that's because it all went wrong."

"Wrong?"

"Yes. You see, from the moment he cast the spell on you, he had found that his control on your mind was slipping. He had tried to revert his spell of course, but he failed. You grabbed your left arm and screamed. Then you started throwing spell after spell at him, and he had no option but to fire back and protect himself. That stopped when you suddenly dropped on your knees. You shook violently as if you were in great pain. Professor Fredrick felt it was safe to approach you and try to revert the effects again. That's when you stood up and suddenly lashed out with what must have been a godlike display of fierce lightning based magic."

"But my arm. It was broken. A-a-and I was under the Cruciatus." He said, now completely confused.

"Is your arm broken now, Harry?" She asked.

"No, but you know that I can heal any injury..."

"Over time. One of the benefits of the ritual, I know. However, your arm was never broken to begin with. It was your nerves working under the effects of the spell."

After a few seconds of silence, she began again. "The situation was terrible. If I had not arrived at the last moment, your could have killed him with that last attack." Harry shuddered, afraid to think what may have happened.

"I blocked your attack and flashed you back home. Then I went back after telling Petunia to look after you. I flashed over there and found Alex already at the scene. She was trying to calm the hysterical students down. Even Professor Fredrick looked afraid. They thought you had gone insane. I had already read your version of the event from your mind, and as I repeated them in front of all they started to calm down and listen. In the end, everyone was worried for you. The Professor looked ashamed. He admitted that he was excited at the idea of having a student who was schooled by the Headmistress herself. So he used the strongest one of his invented spell chains, the 'Animi Imperio'. A spell chain that's strength matches that of the Imperius, but does not take over the mind of the victim completely. The chain utilizes spells that makes its victim hallucinate, adds subtle changes like change in the pressure and temperature to create the impression that the victim is indeed in a state that the caster wants."

"Wait. This is not illegal?"

"Unfortunately no. Because no one but the Professor and the top sections of the government has any idea about this particular chain. That and this chain makes you see things the caster wants, but does not control your mind. There's the beauty of it. It is just a tool that could be used for evil purposes."

"Like the Reductor curse."

"Yes."

"But still, he should not have cast it."

"Harry, he was not very wise in casting it on you. But the special forces and high ranking aurors use this to train. It is, in the right hands nothing but a harmless simulation. But his control on you slipped, which he claims has never happened, and the spell kept working even though no one was in control."

"Alright. I accept that he was a bit too overzealous and it went wrong. But that was not the only reason, was it?"

"No." She sighed. "Harry, when I ejected the Horcrux from your body it left an imprint of it."

"What?" Harry almost yelled out of surprise and fear.

"It was left in an attempt of the soul fragment to accomplish it's goals, at least some of them. Don't worry, it's not there anymore. I got rid of it, permanently." At this Harry relaxed. "The copy was not really a piece of Voldemort's soul, just a nasty black curse that was designed to try and wretch control over you. You were too strong for it to even try that. It got it's chance when he cast that piece of magic on you." She almost growled out, surprising Harry. She had never shown any anger or viciousness before.

"So what happened was due to that...thing?" Harry wanted to be sure. She nodded her head.

Harry looked at her closely. Though she was in reality a bird, she almost seemed more human than others sometimes. Like she had a face that showed her emotions clear as the blue sky. Like now, Harry saw the anger she felt against the Professor and the fragment. She was happy that he was okay, relieved too. But there was something else. She was waiting, unsure whether to tell him or not.

"Go on." He tried to encourage her.

She gave a sigh. "Have you ever wondered why our bond feels so much like a signed contract?"

"Huh?" He felt confused again.

"When we bonded, there were supposed to be changes, remember? I told you that we would rub off of each other. We would change. Have you noticed any such changes?"

Harry frowned. He had not noticed any change other than the normal. "No."

"Well, this is not normal for bonds. Not ours anyway. The way we bonded with each other Harry, basically makes us a joined soul. We should not only be able to feel each other on a deeper level, but also be capable of living inside each other. Confusing, I know. But you'll know what I mean."

"So, what now?" He asked.

"The copy was effectively blocking our connection. Now that it is removed, you and I will go through a phase of rapid change, to make up for lost time. We'll meld into each other. You and your magic will change. For example, that piece of magic you did at the end of the fight was sacred lightning magic, which is exclusively my kind's. More changes will happen, in-fact has already started to, so we will have to stay at home and rest for a few days. I have already requested this from Alex." She paused.

"I'm sorry I could not ask for your opinion." She said after a few moments.

Harry affectionately ran his hand over her feathers. She leaned into his touch. "I don't mind. We are supposed to be one, right? So what you say is as good as mine." She beamed at him. He sighed. "At least this gives me a few days before I have to face the Professor. Wonder what I'll say?"

"About that Harry."

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid you won't see him." She gave him another sad smile. "I managed to save him, but his wand arm was very damaged. He was taken to the hospital, and will take a long time to recover. He didn't want to leave without knowing you were okay though. He looked so sad."

"Oh." Was all he managed to say.

[...]

The man picked himself up from the ground. He looked around. He was in his garden. He must have fallen asleep and then fallen from his chair, as the toppled over chair near him suggested. He smiled as he remembered. He and his family had just moved to America. He hoped to finally make a name for himself and provide for his family.

"Hey." Her voice never failed to make him smile.

"Lilly." He softly responded. She came closer and closer, with a smile on her face.

They shared a soft kiss. She sighed. "You know Sir, I really like the place." He frowned. She had insisted to shorten his name down to 'Sir' from the very first time they met. Amazingly, it still bugged him, much to her amusement.

"I do too." He said as he looked around. The house was not too big but it was in a very good neighborhood. It had a small garden, enough space for Tim in the back to play around. They were happy here. All he needed now was to keep it all this way.

"I hope it all stays this way." She said. He turned her to face him and looked into her eyes.

"For you and Tim, if it doesn't then I'll force it to." He said with absolute conviction.

She gave him a small smile. "Lunch is ready. Come on, Tim is already hungry and waiting for you."

He smiled back. Life was not always perfect, but moments like these are what made it all right.

Serberus Black was the happiest man in the world.

[…]

Ellie felt very worried. She couldn't focus on the classes today, and from Victoria's expression she couldn't either.

"Will Harry be alright?" She asked.

"He will be fine. He's a strong wizard." Victoria tried to assure her, but she herself wasn't convinced.

"Why on earth would Professor Fredrick pull something like that?"

"It's something he does every year." Victoria responded. "Ellie, he had no idea it would go like that. I mean, we would normally expect Harry to break out of it, right?"

"Yeah. He did break out in the end, didn't he. I mean, remember how he lashed out?"

"That would have killed him. If Harry's familiar had not intervened, I think the whole class would have blown up." Victoria shuddered, remembering what had happened.

"Wait! Isn't Harry the Headmistress's godson?" Ellie asked, face palming for not figuring it out sooner.

"Yes, but?"

"We could go and ask her how he is! We have a break now, let's go!" She dragged Victoria with her. In her hurry, she ended up bumping into another girl.

"Ow!" They all said said in unison. As Ellie looked at her, she felt embarrassed.

"Just like the library, eh?" The girl said with her arms crossed, her eyes clearly showing her amusement.

"Hi Caoimhe." She said sheepishly.

She had first met the fifth year when they bumped into each other in the library. Not a very great way to meet each other, but that day and from then on she helped her and Victoria with their assignments time to time.

She looked at Ellie, annoyed. "I told you to call me Cao, I mean even I can't say my name properly."

"Oh. Okay."

She eyed the two. "So, where are you two headed?"

"The Headmistress's office." Victoria responded.

"Don't bother. She is hasn't come today." Cao's answer surprised them. The Headmistress never had taken a day off before.

"I guess she is looking after your friend." Cao said. "That would mean you have no idea how he is doing."

"No." Both girls sadly responded.

"Well, I was looking for you to see if have any idea about him. He'll probably be fine." She assured them. "See ya later."

"Bye" Victoria said as Cao left.

Ellie arched an eyebrow at her. "Did Caoimhe Archange just say she wanted to check on Harry?"

"I think she just did, Ell." Victoria also looked bewildered. 

After looking at each other for a minute in silence, Ellie sighed. "Well, this is new."

[…]

Albus Dumbledore was in his office, feeling very satisfied with the outcome of his little operation. He had used a house elf and Fawkes to track Sirius Black down and bring him to Hogwarts. He had used the Imperius curse on him, And hid him away in the Room of Requirement. There he had learned all about Black's family vault, it's pass codes and took his blood sample. He had then used Fawkes to get in Gringotts, and with the house elf's help had taken as much money as he could without raising any suspicion. The account was currently in shutdown by order of the ministry, and no one would check to see if anything had been taken. Still he had been very careful. He was sure it could not be traced.

He had planned to search as far and wide he possibly could to find a perfect match. Luckily he didn't have to look far, the perfect match was in London. Her name was Lillian Moons. She recently had gone through a nasty divorce with her alcoholic husband. She had a two year old boy named Tim. And she was a young stunning redhead muggle to boot. The fact that she had a hard life and a tough marriage assured him further about his doing.

He knew Black was not safe in this country or any for that matter, not without changing his appearance.

'He deserves a fresh start.' Dumbledore had thought to himself.

So he did the best he could. With a touch of permanent transfiguration, he changed a few details on the man's structure. He was now taller and a bit more muscled, the big cut he had received so many years back on his cheek was gone. He was also being well cared after by his orders. One would have a hard time recognizing Sirius Black.

But still he felt he could do more. So he had taken a vial of the Elixir of Life, the last one produced by the Stone. He had given it to Black, restoring his youth and vitality. Now he was truly a new man.

By his orders, using the a bit of the Black fortune a home was brought in a good neighborhood in America. Mundungus Fletcher was best suited for the task. He himself wiped the memory of both the muggle and Sirius, placing fakes. Using Fawkes he sent them to their new home. False documents were forged magically to keep up the illusion. Now they believed that they were a happily married couple with a two year old son. Sirius Black was now Serberus Black, an aspiring magician who despite his prowess had not gotten a break. So he had moved to America for a better future.

"And that he will have." Dumbledore muttered. He had found that Black was capable of doing a bit wandless magic, so kept rudimentary knowledge of it in his mind. No one would ever figure out the secrets behind his magic tricks. Dumbledore smiled in amusement.

He looked at Dung worriedly. The man was still sitting in his office, still as a dead. His weak mind was still struggling to cope with what changes Dumbledore had made.

'I must stop using him. Or his mind might break down.' Dumbledore thought sadly.

Oh well. He had rescued a man from his path to hell, helped a woman and her child to find a new life. And had gained the funding he needed to fight the coming war at the same time. This mission was a success, and he was proud of it.

"Never again." He whispered. "Never again."

[…]

"Hey, Tempest."

"Hmm?"

"I'm bored."

She looked at him, amused. It hadn't even been an hour since and here he was fully recovered and itching to get up and do something.

"Harry, you know that we have to rest and let the changes be made. Besides, you are not fully restored."

"I'm fine." He grumbled.

"Alright, alright. Just take rest for one hour more, and we'll go down to have lunch."

They sat in silence for a while before Harry spoke again.

"How come Professor Fredrick's magic had that effect on me when I threw off that girl…..um…..Caoimhe's allure? And why did not the copy try and take over back then?"

"Harry you really should read that book of yours. But I'll give you a little summary. A Veela's allure can be used in many ways, but it mainly focuses on your emotions. It makes them stronger to the point of irresistible. And focuses those emotions on the Veela. In a way, it does not affect your mind, which the foul thing targeted. Besides, if it tried to gain control it could not. Part of the allure's job is to keep those emotions focused on her. So the moment it tried, the connection would break down and you'd know something was up. It had enough intelligence to figure that out. On the other hand, well you know that bit."

"Too well." Harry said. "Hey did you notice Petunia was being extra affectionate?"

"I did. And don't push her away. She really does care now. She sees you as the only living member of her family, a reminder of her sister. She also sees you as someone she cares about, and would do anything to make sure that you are okay."

"How can you tell?"

"She told me."

Harry sighed. Maybe she really meant it. But after all these years, Harry's instincts rebelled against such an idea.

'You'll never have the family you want.'

'You're a loner. A survivor. Do not waste your time behind these fantasies.'

In an attempt to distract himself, he looked around till his eyes fell to the wand in his hand.

"Tempest, could you please hand me my mom's journal? I think we should find out what the mystery behind my wand is."


End file.
